The Polyphonic Spree & Jesca Hoop @ Fine Line Music Cafe

(photo by Stacy Schwartz)

The Polyphonic Spree cram 23 musicians into one tour bus for months at a time. And if that doesn’t astound you, check out one of their shows.

Jesca Hoop, the velvet-throated Tom Waits protègè, opened the show with an impressive short set of primarily acoustic numbers. Hoop’s songs ranged from gentle whispers accompanied by her pianist, to laid-back, head-bobbing grooves. Both her singing and speaking voice slipped in and out of mellow, indescribable accents: a tinge of antebellum South, a smidge of Caribbean spice, perhaps some British blueblood (she’s actually from Northern California).

The singer did flub a portion of one song, but all was forgiven with a bat of Hoop’s eyelashes (at least by the blushing males in attendance). The former Waits employee’s graceful flow and sensual charm captured the crowd more deftly than most opening acts I’ve seen.

As roadies set up for the Spree, the floor of the tiny Fine Line stage could scarce be seen beneath the veritable yard sale of music equipment: a drum set here, a guitar there, another drum set and another guitar over there, a violin and—is that a harp?

(photo by Stacy Schwartz)

The Polyphonic Spree chose John Lennon, or at least his recording of “Gimme Some Truth,” to begin the show. The lyrics to the song of disenchantment were projected along a large red length of fabric obscuring the stage. When the music ended, Spree ringleader Tim DeLaughter cut his way through the cloth (in the shape of a heart, no less) with a pair of scissors.

(photo by Stacy Schwartz)

The band opened with “Running Away,” a cut from their latest release The Fragile Army. The record has been described as a darker than the band’s previous works, darker being a relative term of course. The opening jam featured the band’s signature goofy grins, which were soon plastered across the faces of the crowd.

Describing The Polyphonic Spree’s live act, especially when performed in such close quarters, is extremely difficult. Bushels of adjectives hardly suffice in relating the seismic wave of energy that rocks a crowd when 23 musicians get together to make a joyful noise a few short yards away. Brilliant? Electric? Unrelenting? Effervescent?

From the opening harp string plucks, the black-jumpsuited Polyphonic Spree owned the oft pogoing crowd. Blowing through anthems like “Younger Yesterday” and “Get Up and Go” in a blur of confetti, horns, and hair, DeLaughter (a vocal cross between a more tuneful Wayne Coyne and IMA Robot’s Alex Ebert) played the consummate evangelist at the night’s rock revival. One wonders whether DeLaughter draws more from Jerry Falwell or Willy Wonka.

After the band exited virtually one-by-one, leaving the audience chanting the lines “All the time/Raise your voices,” the group filed through the center of the crowd to retake the stage, this time donning their familiar white choral robes. What could have been an encore morphed into a driving second set, which included the hit “Light & Day/Reach for the Sun,” “Into the Sun” and a frenzy-inducing, rock-meets-band-geek version of Nirvana’s “Lithium.”

The crowd’s enthusiasm was not lost on DeLaughter, who proclaimed the show the tour’s high point. As a show of gratitude, the band stayed on to perform a couple of extra numbers, including the obscure “Sonic Bloom,” a tune originally performed by the lead singer’s prior band Tripping Daisy.

At the close of the show, a misty-eyed DeLaughter thanked the crowd and promised to return. As fans began to shuffle away, he announced the band had decided to sign autographs and “visit.” A slightly incredulous DeLaughter concluded, “God damn, this was a good night!”

Word to the wise: when Tim DeLaughter and company pull up in their cramped bus and holler, “All aboard!” Get your ass on the bus.

[Review by guest contributor William McClain]

The Polyphonic Spree: Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
Jesca Hoop: Official | MySpace | Wikipedia