It’s both a blessing and a terrible shame that the Nashville music scene is always ridiculously over-saturated with shows. While Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Telekinesis were playing phenomenal sets to an audience of about 30 people at The End, there was also a show across the street, Gruff Rhys was about a mile away doing the same, and so on. They didn’t let that get them down, though, as both proved to be impressive men of their respective trades.

Taking the stage over an hour late, which is perfectly characteristic of The End, Portland/Auckland outfit Unknown Mortal Orchestra wasted no time in completely blowing away the audience. With limited crowd interaction, the trio proceeded to blast through their heavily hyped EP and preview tracks from the upcoming Fat Possum full-length, due next month without pause. Unfortunately the sound wasn’t mixed too well, and the vocals were often hard to hear and decipher, but all wasn’t lost. The entrancing, psychedelic atmosphere created on tracks such as “Ffunny Ffrends” complemented by the sheer impressive guitar abilities of main man Ruban Nielson more than compensated for any tech issues. Set highlights included an extended version of “Thought Ballune” and bleeding-70′s danceable closer “How Can U Love Me”. On the former, the audience was transported to another dimension with the ethereal vocals and reverb, and the latter ended the set with a grooving dance party. Although they have some tightening up to do, it was incredibly refreshing to see a blogosphere buzz band live up to their hype. Unknown Mortal Orchestra may not have released a full-length yet or had any merchandise to purchase, but they are the real deal.

Photo by Tim Toomey

Seattle’s Telekinesis started shortly after, abruptly ending the crowd’s courtyard smoke break. Taking his place in the front middle of the stage in the heart of a huge drum kit, Michael Lerner graciously thanked everybody for coming out, asked that everybody crowd the stage, and launched into an extensive set list, spanning both albums pretty comprehensively. Their performance added depth and shape to the songs that the poppy recordings can often leave feeling hollow, and it was exhilarating. Whether it was the first drum crash of “50 Ways” or the audience’s enthusiastic response to Lerner’s introduction to “Car Crash”, it was a special night.

Photo by Tim Toomey

Lerner took care to be really intimate with the audience, soliciting requests and Q&A sessions. Questions ranged from asking about Gumby on the drum kit to why Lerner’s acoustic guitar was so small, and he took on every single one. Mid-set highlights included “Rust”, dedicated to Nashville’s lovely cicada population, and “Dirty Thing”. Perhaps the funniest moment of the evening followed: After anxiously asking for the band to play “Great Lakes”, an audience member jokingly reminded the bassist of the opening chord when Lerner sheepishly admitted that they don’t play that song live anymore. They played it anyway. It was that carefree attitude that made the set so enjoyable, because the band was having as much fun as the audience bouncing around to their delicious pop tunes.

Photo by Tim Toomey

Lerner’s storytelling continued, later revealing that “Fever Chill” was originally written as a submission for the Twilight soundtrack and “isn’t about heartbreak and that stuff like the rest of the album. This song is about vampires!” His continued audience interaction left the show feeling like a collection of friends hanging out at a house party, instead of a formal show, and it was better that way. The band closed out the set with clean, passionate renditions of popular tracks “Tokyo” and “Coast of Carolina”. Instead of everybody filing out afterwards, though, in true house party fashion, the band mingled and milled through the crowd, making sure to talk to anybody who wanted to say hey. The combination of talent and friendliness made for a fantastic Tuesday night and a must-see next time the band swings through town.

Telekinesis setlist:
Please Ask for Help
Imaginary Friend
Car Crash
50 Ways
Country Lane
I Cannot Love You
Rust
Foreign Room
Dirty Thing
Awkward Kisser
You Turn Clear in the Sun
Great Lakes
Fever Chill
Gotta Get It Right Now
Tokyo
Coast of Carolina