Los Campesinos! is not a velvet and sequined mariachi band
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Rather, they are a group that contains 6 English men/women and a Russian who sing energetic UK pop, and sing it well, at that.Last Saturday I got to enjoy their music first hand. My husband’s extremely cool 15 year old nephew convinced his mother to bring him from Vancouver BC to Seattle for their show. We got there early so that Nicholas could get up front (good BOY!) and so got to experience the opening band, Parenthetical Girls, also. 
Now, Parenthetical Girls was a tad strange, almost like performance art combined with music, but as their set continued I liked them more and more. The lead singer had a dry and sweet sense of humor and wit that I thoroughly loved and the music wasn’t half bad either.
The crowd was sparse at first but by the time Los Campesinos came out (11:30pm) the room had filled in somewhat. I think the late hour and long wait (the doors opened at 7pm) had sapped some of the crowd’s energy because it seemed to take 2-3 songs to tap into our reserves, but once the dancing started, it really never stopped.
The tunes were fun, fun, fun and solid musically but the best part of the show was that the band was obviously having the time of their lives. 
Huge smiles on all faces, lots of jumping and bumping and camaraderie between the mates and, as it will, the undiluted joy leeched out into the audience, infecting us with their enthusiasm. 
This kind of charm can’t be learned or pretended and I hope they keep it as they get more known and more successful…because they are going to get more known and more successful. There’s no way to hold this kind of potential energy under wraps. I feel pretty lucky to have experienced it at this level, in a small venue ½ full, for very little money. 
After the show, the band mingled with the crowd, selling merch, signing autographs, just shooting the breeze. Nick got his CD signed and spent some time talking with the lead singer and one of the guitarists. There was no arrogance, no assembly line fan placating…just real appreciation for the kid and his love of their music. Nick will ??never?? forget it; he talked my ear off on our walk back home, repeating the highlights of the show, reading the notes they wrote on his CD. Very cool, just like the music. These guys are going somewhere, IMHO. At least I hope so; kids this nice and talented deserve it.
Now, Parenthetical Girls was a tad strange, almost like performance art combined with music, but as their set continued I liked them more and more. The lead singer had a dry and sweet sense of humor and wit that I thoroughly loved and the music wasn’t half bad either.The crowd was sparse at first but by the time Los Campesinos came out (11:30pm) the room had filled in somewhat. I think the late hour and long wait (the doors opened at 7pm) had sapped some of the crowd’s energy because it seemed to take 2-3 songs to tap into our reserves, but once the dancing started, it really never stopped.The tunes were fun, fun, fun and solid musically but the best part of the show was that the band was obviously having the time of their lives. Huge smiles on all faces, lots of jumping and bumping and camaraderie between the mates and, as it will, the undiluted joy leeched out into the audience, infecting us with their enthusiasm. This kind of charm can’t be learned or pretended and I hope they keep it as they get more known and more successful…because they are going to get more known and more successful. There’s no way to hold this kind of potential energy under wraps. I feel pretty lucky to have experienced it at this level, in a small venue ½ full, for very little money. After the show, the band mingled with the crowd, selling merch, signing autographs, just shooting the breeze. Nick got his CD signed and spent some time talking with the lead singer and one of the guitarists. There was no arrogance, no assembly line fan placating…just real appreciation for the kid and his love of their music. Nick will ??never?? forget it; he talked my ear off on our walk back home, repeating the highlights of the show, reading the notes they wrote on his CD. Very cool, just like the music. These guys are going somewhere, IMHO. At least I hope so; kids this nice and talented deserve it.
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