Last night, Hooray for Earth‘s lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Noel Heroux told my buddy Brett from indiEngage his band’s sound was influenced by both Nirvana and Enya. Oddly, that sounds about right. With its layers of noise, memorable hooks, and soaring, at times ethereal vocals, Hooray for Earth has figured out a way to merge the two disparate styles.
Touring in support of their latest, the fantastic Racy, the four-piece made their way to the HiFi for a nicely attended show. The turnout was helped by support from two excellent openers. Bailiff, who play Indy every couple of months, was a late addition, and drew scores of fans for their melodic, bluesy rock. Grooms followed and kept the juice flowing. Live the band exhibits a much stronger Sebadoh influence than is obvious on record. They were an engaging follow-up.
But the main reason to hit the Fountain Square venue was HfE. The band played the White Rabbit a couple of years back, opening for Cymbals Eat Guitars, and blew the headliner out of the water. The performance Friday night wasn’t as revelatory as that set, but it was still a swirling, groovy showcase.
The band opened with four straight from Racy, setting the tone and volume for the night. Heroux’s vocals floated over the walls of guitar, synth, and drums. At times, listening to Hooray for Earth feels like you’re in a snowglobe of sound.
Although I really like the new record, the songs that hit hardest were from True Loves. The album’s title track and main set closer Black Trees, in particular, were delivered with an extra dose of gusto. I was slightly disappointed we didn’t get to hear the amazing No Loves, but I can understand wanting to focus more on the new material.
Fun night at the HiFi. Were you there? What did you think of the show?