I took my first breath of the Bloomington music scene as soon as I moved into town two years ago. Ever since, I have been caught in sweet and sticky web of constantly watching musicians weave their creativity throughout the community. Completely spoiled by an abundance of talent, it has been difficult to unravel myself from the scene and fully remember why I thought it was so amazing in the first place.
When I saw Nurses and Husband & Wife perform at the recently birthed venue, The Bishop last Wednesday I remembered. I was completely taken back to that first breath and man was it refreshing.
When I first discovered local band Husband & Wife last winter, I knew that I had come across something special. Their latest album Dark Dark Woods is emotionally evocative and poignant, and thus translated well into the intimate space of The Bishop. I had only seen the band once before during an acoustic in-studio performance at WIUX, so seeing them perform with a bassist, a drummer, and a trombonist cemented the power of their music.
"Don't Change" off Operation: surgery and "Comp Jam", the opening track of Dark Dark Woods, were both haunting and feverish, exposing layer upon layer of emotion. Both Mike Adams' and Tim Felton's voices seemed pained with passion.
When they played "Haven't Got a Friend", the light was once again shined on Mike Adams' voice, as he loudly sang out, "You sound like everybody else when you say, you haven't got a friend in the world." Will Rose added the eerie effect of running his drumstick in circles around one of his symbols, which made the song even better.
Shortly after Husband & Wife finished their set, Nurses took the stage to perform to a room that had since filled up. The band didn't speak much, but it wasn't necessary, for their music did all the talking. Mixing a combination of dirty psychedelic rock with jangly, lithe pop soundscapes, the band succeeded in creating a set that was both hypnotic and lively. Many concert-goers swayed their bodies, letting the current of Nurses' music gently pull them back and forth.
The band kick-started the night with "Technicolor" the opening track off their sophomore album, Apple's Acre. The song stays true to its title in that it was bright and colorful, and it proved to be a great way to begin their set. Nurses continued to please the crowd by bending and blurring the lines of genres and bringing everything from folk to electronica to the table. Their sound was expansive and outdoorsy with spurts of whistles and sounds of birds tweeting on "Caterpillar Playground", which gave the whole night an exultant atmosphere.
After playing a fairly short set that was simultaneously sweet, explosive and dirty, the crowd was ready to keep listening. The band seemed apprehensive to give an encore, but played one last song despite claiming that it was "unrehearsed." The crowd semi-jokingly told them just to play "Technicolor" again, but they instead opted for something older. After they closed off their set, people still milled around the venue obviously excited about this up-and-coming band. If I were you, I'd give both of their albums a deep listen and get ready for what's to come.
Words by Katie
Pictures by David
