20 February 2012 (gig)
21 February 2012
Trendy east London hangout the Seabright Arms was the venue for last night’s sell out Real Estate gig. An intimate gig for around a hundred people squashed tightly together downstairs in anticipation. Woolly jumpers galore and converse en mass, the crowd waited happily, no one in the rooming caring that the band were running late.To see this much-touted band, the room would have probably camped out all night.
Keeping up with the woollen theme, the Real Estates entered with a mixture of beanies, caps, thick black specks and knitwear good enough for any Christmas catalogue. Geek Chic at its best! The opening of this set was incredibly slick with melodic drums and a beautifully up tempo beat.
Real Estate is an indie rock band from Ridgewood, New Jersey. Their music is heavily influenced by suburban living with nostalgic lyrics of living on tree lined streets. But don’t be tempted to compare them to Weezer or Vampire Weekend. Their style is intelligent and beautifully performed. This set could have effortlessly filled a stadium or festival.
The noise from the back of the venue erupted at the end of every song as there was no way to squeeze to the front. The lucky ones that could get a peep of the band were trying their best to dance along in next to no space at all. Not all their songs were jam packed with lyrics though and sometimes we were treated to melodies straight out of a jamming session – either way, the crowd bounced along happily.
With trippy melodies and memorable guitar riffs, it would be incredibly hard not to feel relaxed or leave without a smile on your face. Real Estate has known each other for over a decade and with that comes an ease in performance. They don’t seem to be trying to have an image, which is refreshingly original.
