freelance whales, courtesy their myspace

The line outside of the Wonder Ballroom in North East Portland Tuesday night was nearly to the end of the block for The Naked and Famous, Foals, and Freelance Whales. A sold-out crowd was arriving early as the doors remained shut past their promised 7:30 opening. The crowded venue was filled from top to bottom by a fog machine before anyone was invited to enter, the blue and purple lights of the stage casting cool tones over the room.

First up was The Naked and Famous, but someone apparently forgot to tell them that they were openers. The Five-piece, led by dueling vocalists Thomas Powers and Alisa Xaylaith, took the stage with the swagger of a headliner, the audience fueling them with ecstatic applause between each song. Benefitting from a wall of sound creating by their electronic elements, the band made the building rumble, willing the crowd into rock-out submission. Xaylaith spoke to the audience on several occasions, clearly aware of the affect of her adorable New Zealand accent. Nearly blowing out the speakers with their first few numbers, The Naked and Famous scaled back their sonic bombast for the second half of the set before closing things out with an enthusiastically received rendition of their biggest hit, “Young Blood.”

As was foretold by the boisterous reception of The Naked and Famous, each of the three bands on the bill had a following of their own, a trend the Freelance Whales did nothing to refute. The second five-man-band of the night, Freelance Whales filled the stage with their plethora of personal, many of the members constantly changing what they were playing as the show went on. Vocalists Judah Dadone and Doris Flynn Cellar displayed a spectacular rapport with one another, their voices intertwining above a steady mixture of xylophone, glockenspiel, and similarly sunny-day, happy-times sounds. Showing their knowledge of the band’s catalogue, the crowd cheered for the intro to a song on a variety of occasions, but never so much as for new single Generator First Floor. Benefitting from their boundless energy and the unmistakably Ben Gibbard-like qualities of Dadone’s voice, the band cruised though what turned out to be a lengthy set for an opener, playing for just under an hour before thanking everyone in sight and yielding the stage.

foals, courtesy their myspace

Foals took their sweet time setting up, their main tech guy tuning each of the band’s Three guitars on multiple occasions, testing the crowds patience in the process. When the band did take the stage, however, there was not a fussy voice to be heard. The night’s final five-piece absolutely burned through a searing rendition of, “Blue Blood,” playful, jazzy opening giving way to a chaotic, rambunctious conclusion. The guitar playing talents of frontman Yannis Philippakis were on display from start to finish, furiously picking through complicated rhythms and melodies. The group’s set was front-loaded with songs from their newest album, “Total Life Forever,” the band’s older tunes having to wait their turn. But their turn certainly came, “Balloons,” and, “Olympic Airways,” each garnering a strong reaction from an audience who was jumping up and down for Foals entire set. It was welcome rarity to see an audience who loved every band as much as Tuesday’s crowd did, but it certainly didn’t occur on accident. All three bands put on a terrific show, leaving nothing to be desired when the show finally came to an end at 12:15.

All Three bands can next be seen TONIGHT at the American Music Hall in San Francisco. Music by all three bands is available via itunes or wherever music is sold.