Youth Group 4/19/09

Photo courtesy of SafetyPinHeart

A few months ago, Youth Group announced they'd play headlining sets at T.T. The Bear's all four Sundays in April. Ironically enough, this residency made it sound as though my friend and I were trying to choose which Sunday we would attend church outings. (A concert vs. church, hmm). I'm not sure what inspired the band's residency here in Boston, but I'm not complaining.

I hadn't seen Youth Group since 2005 when they opened for Death Cab for Cutie. Since then, they've had songs featured several times on Fox's The OC (I know, that was sooo 2004). They've put out two more albums (one of which I still have to get acquainted with. Oops!) All of that exposure means they should have more fame.

But the crowd at T.T.'s last night fit comfortably into the cozy room. The number of attendees might just have been because Youth Group was playing four dates here, so maybe that's just too many shows in one month. But the concert-goers made up for the empty space by being extra enthusiastic. One girl next to me utilized the open floor to show off some extra big dance moves.

Anyway, Youth Group sound pretty great live. There were some technical difficulties, which the guys clearly felt bad about. Lead singer, Toby Martin, mumbled something into the microphone about "Forget about all this tonight and come see us next week!"

But despite the feedback and weird shrieking emitting from amps, I was impressed. The music sounds solid live, and all four guys are very talented. Especially drummer Danny Allen. He kept making eye contact and smiling with everyone in the crowd, like he was so happy to be up on stage.

The set list didn't include any of my favorite songs, such as Lillian Lies or See-Saw, but it did include some other enjoyable tunes: Skeleton Jar, Daisychains, Siciliy, Baby Body. And of course, the encore included their cover of Forever Young.

Overall, a fun and entertaining show. I just wish the band members had interacted with the crowd a little more to liven things up. But in fairness to them, it was a rough night with all the technical difficulties. So if you're in the Boston area next Sunday, check out Youth Group and let me know how it is!