At first glance, this line-up seems to be pretty spot on for fans of both bands. You have Dry The River’s explosive power rock anthems and the subtle communal folk efforts of Bowerbirds. Seems like a good mix if you think about it. However, I was concerned about at the energy balance being a bit off that night. You see, Dry The River is a more energetic band live and Bowerbirds is way more low-key. So you can understand my concern over whether or not Bowerbirds were going to be able to hold it together after a huge performance by Dry The River…

You see, Dry The River erupt when you them live. From the first song to the last, the London 5-piece powers through their upcoming album Shallow Bed with so much frenzied emotion that you immediately think that this is the headlining act. This is a band that is here to destroy the stage and leave the unsuspecting audience exhausted from it’s aftermath. And those are just their strong and uplifting songs, Dry The River have a few refined and harmonious folk ballads in their holster and each enchant and draw you in as the set goes on. But what follows are these huge rock epics that sometimes sound like Explosions in the Sky with vocals.

Songs like the folk-pop slice (and new single) of New Ceremony showcased the band’s many talents perfectly. The song starts delicately but builds and builds into a enormous melodious and catchy sample of what Dry The River are capable of. Within moments though, the band rolls in with the pleasing Shaker Hymns, a song that demonstrates their ability to create ethereal harmonies that would put Fleet Foxes to shame. Add their on-stage chemistry and frontman Peter Liddle’s laid back bare-foot demeanor and you have the formula for a headlining act. Also bassist Scott Miller has to be one of the most dramatic bassists I’ve ever seen. The band closed with the huge 6-minute epic Lion’s Den and casually walked off stage as someone yelled “Encore!”

How do you follow that?

MP3: Dry The River – New Ceremony from Shallow Bed (2012)

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Seriously though, with the energy in the room at a high level, how were Bowerbirds going to build off that? Well instead of attempting to clean up after Dry The River or piggy back of their fiery performance, Bowerbirds instead gently presented their songs with ambrosial and peaceful resilience. Opening with a few songs from 2009′s Upper Air and 2007′s Hymns for a Dark Horse, the band presented songs from this year’s euphonious The Clearing. Songs like In The Yard sound like something the Dirty Projectors would perform if they were less of an art-pop group and more of a folk conglomerate. While the rest of the band showcased an impressive display of musicianship, it was Philip Moore’s (vocals, guitar) and Beth Tacular’s (accordion, vocals) onstage charm and chemistry that gravitated me to each song. They two would glance at each other during the show almost to say, “This is going well…Good job.” It was endearing to say the least.

The band even threw in a nice little “Mid-Western Anthem” that snuck in a couple lyrics from Bob Dylan’s “With God On Our Side,” however I didn’t catch the name of the song. They closed with the encore of Northern Lights and the Neil Young-esqe Overcome With Light and left the stage the same way they entered; modest and reserved. While it’s true that Dry The River out performed Bowerbirds in an energy sense, but it was Bowerbirds that successfully wound down the night with true folk sincerity.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that this line-up was fairly genius.

MP3: Bowerbirds – In The Yard from The Clearing (2012)

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More pictures from this show here…