Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club is boasting an excep- tional lineup this fall with bands including Bombay Bicycle Club, Fitz and the Tantrums, Lykke Li and New Politics gracing its small stage.
This Sunday, Portugal- bred RAC added to the club’s thriving calendar of events with a sensational show for 9:30’s full house
Doors opened at 7 p.m., and while one would expect a low turnout for a Sunday night gig, such was not the case. Fans were lining up and cramming toward the stage before RAC’s opening acts even began setting up.
By 8:30 p.m., Texas’s indie-rock group Speak had the crowd moving. Lead singer Troupe Gammage — a gangly, glasses-wearing, twenty-something artist — instantly sound- ed familiar to RAC fans. Gammage, it turns out, is a contributing vocalist on RAC’s albums Strangers Part I and Part II and serves as the frontman of I Should’ve Guessed.
After briefly studying video game production, Gammage (the brains behind the band) created unique, electro-synth flares for Speak’s EP. The young group was sur- prisingly underwhelmed, well-rehearsed and grate- ful for the opportunity to return to 9:30 Club.
Penguin Prison, the second warm-up group of the night, echoed this appreciation, emphasizing that 9:30 Club’s energy never fails to disappoint. Because Sunday was Penguin Prison’s final night on tour with RAC (who typically travels with The Knocks), the band was determined to end the partnership on a high note.
The ‘80s-sounding pop-group previewed four tracks from their up- coming album, scheduled to drop in 2015. Based on Chris Glover’s teaser, Penguin Prison’s next re- leases will even surpass hits “Calling Out” and “Desert Cold” in popularity.
When Penguin Prison wrapped up their set the audience — at this point occupying two tiers of floorspace — was over- whelmingly pumped. Both openers did a perfect job preparing the crowd for the highly anticipated headliner.
At last, geometric fluorescents started glowing, a thick haze of fog began creeping and for a split second the entire club went pitch-black. RAC took the stage.
As a pleasant sur- prise, Troupe Gammage and Chris Glover were not finished perform- ing. Both lead vocalists returned to accompany RAC in an assemblage of covers and original sin- gles. RAC’s set covered the group’s best work, including “Hollywood,” “Let Go,” Two Door Cinema Club’s “Something Good Can Work” and “Tourist.”
Most impressive was the group’s ability to rotate instruments, with each member alternating between electric guitar, keyboard, tambourine and synthesizers.
The night’s few imperfections included an unfortunate cover of “Ready for It” (only St. Lucia can pull it off) and an usually high number of spilt beverages in the tightly packed space (also to be expected).
RAC fans are highly encouraged to invest in tickets to one of the group’s upcoming performances. The feel-good show was absolutely worth a feel-bad Monday.
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