Some bands were meant to play together. Whether it be the sound, lyrics or energy, the show will be a bust if the music does not make the crowd feel comfortable.

Picking bands to complement each other is a work of art and University Union and its Bandersnatch music series perfected it, inviting indie rock artists Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra and We Barbarians to perform Monday at the Schine Underground.

‘It’s OK if our music doesn’t sound the same as (Andy Hull’s) because a lot of the time people are more so attracted to a similar energy,’ said David Quon, lead singer of We Barbarians. ‘If we share a similar energy onstage, people can feed off that and slowly but surely will get what we’re doing.’

We Barbarians just embarked on a winter leg of touring which will occupy most of their time. The band said they hope to release a full-length album in the new year, taking any and all chances they get to perform because it is the best thing to do as a small relatively unknown indie rock band.

The venue filled with about 200 ticket holders. Students sat on the floor, some resting against the stage. The relaxed atmosphere was interrupted as the lights dimmed and two members of UU took the stage to introduce We Barbarians. Without any self-introduction, the band crashed into their first song, ‘Headspace.’ Immediately, the crowd bobbed their heads in rhythm with the music. The band members danced around the stage, enthusiastically beckoning the crowd to join with a wave of their hands.

David Quon invited the crowd to interact with him when he asked the technician to turn the lights down to a ‘second-degree burn as opposed to a third-degree.’ The crowd laughed and let loose for a few songs. The crowd was quick to imitate the band, moving their bodies in beat with the drums as We Barbarians progressed into ‘The Wait Is Over.’

Nir Swenson, a junior aerospace engineer, said he could not have asked for a better concert.

‘The first song they played was ‘Headspace,’ and that made my night right off the bat,’ Swenson said, referring to the band’s popular single. ‘Then to meet (David Quon) afterwards definitely exceed my expectations.’

Before the concert, Andy Hull said he was looked forward to playing at Syracuse University, which was his last show of the year.

As he took the stage, the crowd erupted into applause and fans with beards impressive enough to compete with Hull’s tilted their heads back and pointed excessively to their faces. After a quick hello, he hashed out the songs that he referred to as ‘the hits.’ These included crowd favorites such as ‘Deer’ and some older songs like ‘Shake It Out’ and ‘I’ve Got Friends.’

The crowd stayed silent while Hull played a solo acoustic set, and they seemed to hang onto each crisp note he hit. Hull took a break from singing and asked the photographers with ‘machine gun cameras’ to wrap up their shots because the shutter noise not only distracted him but could be heard throughout the room. Sensing the photographers’ disappointment, he offered them one last ultimate pose: ‘The Tebow.’ He then kneeled to the ground, throwing one hand up to his forehead and imitated the pose of NFL quarterback Tim Tebow.

Sam Patterson, a sophomore civil engineering major, said he was excited when Hull played songs from his solo project, Right Away, Great Captain! He played old songs and debuted several songs that will appear on his solo project’s third release.

‘I wanted to hear a lot of the Right Away because that’s what I’ve been learning on guitar,’ Patterson said. ‘It’s actually how I learned to play guitar because it’s all acoustic.’

Andy Hull captured the intimacy of Monday’s concert best, saying it felt more like a conversation than a show. He closed the show with ‘Sleeper 1972,’ a slow song that the crowd whispered along to, and ‘The River,’ a fast-paced song that showed off his vocals. The crowd cheered until the he left the stage and exited carrying the excitement outside.

Kenny Consor, co-director of concerts at UU, said he was pleased with the event.

Said Consor: ‘This was the epitome of what a Bandersnatch show is supposed to be.’

jtinfant@syr.edu

Published on December 5, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Joe: jtinfant@syr.edu | @joeinfantino