Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2008 > November > 08 > Entry
Fun Fun Fun Fest review: Bishop Allen
Larry Kolvoord AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Just like Vampire Weekend, the indie-pop playing Ivy League alums in Bishop Allen don’t look much like rockers. The clean cut five-piece took Fun Fun Fun Fest’s main stage on Saturday dressed in polos, flannel and a white dress shirt tucked into dark jeans.
The music was mild-tempered as well. The hook-centered pop songs were primarily driven by an acoustic rhythm guitar and an electric lead.
But they were nothing less than spectacular. Tightly held together by forward-driving drumbeats, Bishop Allen moved in a controlled yet energetic manner through a set of pop perfection that drew cues from new wave melodies and, in some instances, the guitar lines on Paul Simon’s “Graceland.”
For the most part, the band gave the crowd a preview of cuts from their forthcoming album, due in February. Beneath tales of heartache and plenty of harmonized “ba ba’s” and “doo doo’s,” the drums galloped while the band danced along.
The only downside to playing so many new songs was that the audience wasn’t familiar with them. Still, Bishop Allen played some older, more familiar numbers, and the performance as a whole was a nice preview of the album to come.
Follow Austin Music Source on Facebook and Twitter.
Permalink | | Categories: Fun Fun Fun Fest
