I went to the Logan Square Auditorium for the first time to see Sunset Rubdown perform. Missed the two opening bands but if their names (’Beaver’ and ‘Office’) were any indication of their talent I didn’t miss much. The Auditorium is a beautiful old room with vaulted ceilings and hardwood floors. Interestingly, the room was actually on the second level of the building and one has to enter through a tiny hallway of stairs to get to the actual auditorium.

The performance kicked off with ‘Stadiums and Shrines II’ – the first (and perhaps best) track off Sunset’s most recent release Shut Up I Am Dreaming. Spencer began the number by whispering noises into the mic, counting off and with a crack of the snare they were off, sounding just as charged and tight as on the album. This was expected but still a relief after witnessing a truly disappointing Clap Your Hands Say Yeah performance at the Vic Theatre on Tuesday. Clap Your Hands attempted desperately to recreate the dynamic they cleverly crafted on their first (and self-released) album but failed miserably, whereas Spencer Krug and Sunset Rubdown were able to effortlessly pull off such a feat.

Sunset did have complications of their own though, as just moments into the opening song, the bass drum pedal came apart and they were forced to stop the song. After much joking and an embarassed drummer they began again with the same authority and command. They played the entirety of Shut Up I Am Dreaming and one song I didn’t recognize. Spencer jumped from keyboards to accordian to guitar throughout the course of the show, all the while handling vocal duties admirably.