Headlights, The Love Language at the Bell House, Brooklyn (4/24/09)

Headlights - Market Girl Headlights Tour Dates 05/07/09 Il Motore Montreal, PQ 05/08/09 Rivoli Cabaret Toronto, ON 05/09/09 Schubas Chicago, IL 05/10/09 Cedar Cultural Center Minn, MN 05/13/09 Crocodile Cafe Seattle, WA 05/14/09 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR 05/15/09 Bottom of the Hill SF, CA * with Loney Dear Sweat stain heart ♥ photo by laura

About halfway through the opening set of the Love Language, I couldn’t help but notice something odd: where was the flannel? Perhaps it was the slightly warmer weather or the fact that neither bands were from Brooklyn, but it’s a strange sight these days, going to a show with no trace of the hipster staple. The lack of flannel continued onto Headlights’ set, and it was somewhat telling, as both bands offered up refreshing doses of unpretentious, enthusiastic pop.

The Love Language - Lalita

The Love Language, a six-member troop hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, proved to be ideal openers for the somewhat more polished Headlights. Stuart McLamb, lead singer and wearer of dilapidated wife-beaters, charmed the stoic audience with his off-beat lyrics and undeniably catchy melodies. There seemed to be an endless supply of tambourines, an occasional accordion, and when Missy the keyboardist started dancing around barefoot, it seemed wholly appropriate. Their entire set gave off the vibe of an indie pop country hoedown.

The Love Language ♥ photo by laura
Headlights ♥ photo by laura Headlights ♥ photo by laura
Headlights ♥ photo by laura

TLL ended with their fan-favorite, “Lalita,” McLamb’s viciously sweet ode to an ex-girlfriend, and a somewhat creepy, somewhat endearing (but ultimately catchy) cover of Ricky Nelson’s “Hello, Mary Lou.” When their set ended, they left a palpable energy in a crowd, which is always a noteworthy accomplishment for a relatively unknown opening act.

With only four members, Headlights initially had a more subdued presence than TLL, but they immediately proved their pop prowess with gems like “Market Girl” and “Your Old Street.” Keyboardist Erin Fein provided her signature crystal clear vocals, while guitarist Tristan Wright took the lead on some songs, offering a nice contrast with his rougher but equally sweet vocals.

Midway through their set, they called up TLL up to the stage to join them for the stand-out hit from their second album, “Cherry Tulips.” It was obvious the two bands enjoyed touring together, and since this was their final show together, there were several “I love you, man!” moments – punctuated with tambourines and more barefoot hijinks. When they ended the night with “TV,” the two-minute favorite from their debut album, the audience was completely mesmerized. They had just put on a glam-free, wonderfully sincere show in the heart of Brooklyn. Quite a feat for this flannel-free band.

There are only so many alternatives the Merriam-Webster thesaurus can offer for “precious” and “cute,” but Headlights literally exemplified the two when Fein called attention to bassist Nick Sanborn’s sweat-soaked t-shirt. Apparently his chest hair has the awesome habit of forming a sweat stain in the shape of a perfect heart. Seriously, how twee can you get?

 04/26/2009 21:29:00 ♥ kateg () ♥ headlightsmusic.com/myspace.com ♥ myspace/thelovelanguage