SLM are a very tight band. They exude an energy on stage that is reflected in their music, but not in their physical actions. This is not a band that interacts much with their audience. They get up on stage and play their songs. This is fine to an extent. Their music is good enough that this not a huge detractor. and the sound mix was impeccable. It never ceases to amaze me how fast singer/front man Tomas Kalnoky can spit out the words to their very up tempo songs, let alone the ability of the rest of the band to keep up. This feat alone is totally amazing.
They performed a great version of the classic song Hell (more commonly known as “The After Life”). This was performed proximately a third way into the show, yet as I continually scanned the dance floor, it was nonstop bouncing bodies. Other songs included, “Watch It Crash” (one of my favorites) and the dance floor continued the high energy bounce.
When Tom played a single opening note to their slower song, “A Moment Of Silence,” it almost seemed as if he were taunting the crowd as he hesitated before continuing. The slower tempo turned the sea of bouncing bodies into a sea of swaying ones. Oddly, I noticed more crowd surfers during the slower “A Moment Of Silence.”
The energy of Streetlight Manifesto’s songs and the energy of the crowd, despite the stifling temperature inside the Showbox, could have powered the entire downtown Seattle area for the duration of the show and then some.
After leaving the stage after “Moment Of Silence,” they returned for two more songs concluding with “The Big Sleep.”
When I arrived the stage was occupied by a single dude with an acoustic guitar calling himself Dan Potthast. He sang humorous songs with intelligent lyrics and even paused long enough for some good natured bantering with a heckler at the front of the stage. Judging by the enthusiastic response from the sold out crowd, he was very well received.
And thus passed another night of another ska show in Seattle.
– Holly Homan
