San Francisco – Nuptial Denver indie pop duo Tennis delighted a sold-out crowd at Great American Music Hall with a solid set consisting of old favorites and new classics. The band—whose principal members consist of married couple Alaina Moore (vocals, keys) and guitarist Patrick Riley—took to the stage at one of San Francisco’s most beloved venues after a killer opening set by Portland outfit Pure Bathing Culture. Tennis focused mostly on material lifted from their most recent album Ritual In Repeat, released this past September.
The term “indie darlings” is thrown around quite a bit, mostly in reference to bands that have been around the proverbial block and have earned such status through longevity and altogether likability (see: Belle & Sebastian), and though they are relative newcomers, it’s safe to include Tennis in that category. Tennis first erupted in the blogosphere with their single “Marathon”—which would end up being the lead single off their debut LP, 2011’s Cape Dory—and since then they have made quite a name for themselves, even attracting the attention of The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney, Spoon’s Jim Eno, and The Shins’ Richard Swift, all of whom share producer credits on Ritual In Repeat. (Carney also produced their sophomore LP Young & Old). These producers add veritable flavor to Moore and Riley’s song crafting, though the heart of the band lies within just that: the talent shared between Tennis’ core members. This talent really shines during their live performance.
Tennis is one of those bands that has somehow eluded my grasp over the past several years in terms of catching them perform, though the waiting game definitely paid off. Ritual is their most expressive and creative album to date, and they have also had time to polish the older songs they mixed in to a level of pristine clarity. Hearing old favorites like “Petition,” “Pigeon,” and especially “Origins” (a personal favorite) was well worth the wait, and they were executed beautifully.
Most of the band’s set relied on tracks from Ritual In Repeat, and they kicked things off with the album’s penultimate track “Solar on the Rise.” It’s not often you see a band showcase an album’s later tracks so early on in a set, but “Solar on the Rise” is a perfect introduction, as it is sunny, upbeat, and contains some of the most alluring guitar riffs from the new album. From here they busted into “Mean Streets,” the main single from last year’s EP Small Sound, a welcome throwback that kept up with the feel of Ritual. Other Ritual highlights included album opener “Night Vision”—a beautifully poetic ballad that effectively broke up the more upbeat songs of the set—as well as “I’m Callin’” (very Blondie-esque; Alaina remarked she wrote it ‘in a dream’), “This Is Your Song” (‘Patrick’s favorite song’), “Needle and the Knife,” and, of course, the romping glory of “Never Work For Free,” the lead single off Ritual in Repeat, which had even the most stalwart, machismo-attuned guys dancing like happy little butterflies.
We also heard “Timothy”—the only track to appear on both the Small Sound EP and Ritual in Repeat—“Cured of Youth” (another Small Sound track), and “It All Feels The Same,” the fantastic opening song from Young & Old. Those who stuck around for the encore were also treated to “Marathon.”
As a live band, Tennis completely surpassed all expectations. Alaina Moore is adorable and congenial, and had a wonderful repartee with the audience; and while her partner Patrick didn’t say much of anything to the audience, you could tell he was digging every second.
Be sure to catch Tennis on their U.S. tour, you won’t regret it.
Corey Bell
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