The Goodnight Loving

Wisonsin’s The Goodnight Loving are on an extensive tour supporting their new, self-titled album. The first several stops in the New York-area was last night at Silent Barn.

Support came primarily from a couple of scrappy punk bands, though Ridgewood (New Jersey)’s Big Troubles did give an unexpectedly impressive performance. Their strong sense of rhythm under blistering guitar leads leant them a surprising level of sophistication.

The Goodnight Loving were something of a departure from the rest of the evening. Rather than noise, they worked with twang and jangle. They were just as catchy as any band of the night, but you could hear their vocals and after a chorus or two sing along. People danced and clapped and smiled broadly (except for the kid who slept through most of the set on one of the sofas, but it looked like he had a little assistance there).

The band really stepped up as headliners, even though they were essentially playing in someone’s kitchen. There was a notable difference in the way they presented themselves as opposed to, say, the aforementioned scrappy punk bands. But they were coaxed into playing a few songs more than planned, the crowd offering the ever-convincing arguement of “oh, come one, you can play one more,” every time they attempted to take off their instruments, with several demands for songs from the new record.

If you missed last night’s show, you can catch The Goodnight Loving tonight at Bruar Falls, tomorrow at Cake Shop, and Sunday at Maxwell’s.