Back Beat Seattle

Typhoon & AgesandAges @ the Neptune, 1/19
Show Review & Photos by Abby Williamson

Typhoon

There’s something surreal about falling in love with a band for a second time. You’ve been a fan for a couple of years, and you’ve seen then a couple of times in various settings, but then something happens to make you essentially renew your vows with said band. I had that moment with Typhoon last year, when they released their triumphant record White Lighter. And after listening to that album probably close to 100 times all the way through, I got the chance to see them play the Neptune Theatre, and experience the album live. Needless to say, I enjoyed myself.

The crowd was already emanating joy and relief because the Seahawks had won the NFC championships literally an hour before the music started. So the local pride bounced off the walls, even onto the stage when AgesandAges opened the show. Guitarist and singer Tim Perry was even rocking a Renton T-shirt, of all things. Their upbeat choral pop was perfect for the occasion, and just about everyone was dancing and singing along to “Divisionary (Do the Right Thing).” Come to think of it, Agesandages is already a 7-part harmony band, so it’s just asking for the audience to join in. Oh boy did they ever.

That was just the warm up for the ten-piece Typhoon, which actually had quite a long intermission. I don’t know if they were just drawing out the suspense, but it seemed to take. . . .ages and ages. Ha. Sorry.

But they finally did take the stage, and instantly front man Kyle Morton shouted to the crowd, “They said I should do this. SEA!” And the crowd responded, “HAWKS!”

“I’m glad they won though, because otherwise our show would have been ruined,” he exclaimed. “Actually, does anyone have a jersey that Dave could wear, he didn’t bring one with him.” And just like that, some unknown person threw a Richard Sherman jersey up to the stage.

After that, pardon my cliché, but the rest of the evening was a bit of a blur. I usually try to take notes on the setlist or anything noteworthy, but I was too busy having fun. Typhoon’s expansive sound carried throughout the Neptune, with sweeping harmonies, sharp strings, and their signature duel drummers. Honestly, what other band plants two full drum kits at the front of the stage? And the last piece of their beautiful puzzle was Kyle’s vocals, which are both contained and somehow manic. I guess that would be a good word to describe Typhoon – contained mania. At least much more contained than an actual typhoon, and far less destructive. The highlight of the set though, was the impassioned “Common Sentiments,” which concludes with the quiet chorus of, “I will be good but my body be broken!” crescendoing into everyone screaming the line. And I mean everyone.

What was already a good day for most of the people in the theater was made that much richer that night. The little cluster of people I was standing with were singing along to every line and dancing to every song. There was even a girl I talked to that was an Italian exchange student going to school at UW. A girl from Italy was seeing an indie band from Portland in Seattle. How crazy is that? And it was at that moment when I realized how small music makes this world.