NOISE POP: Hamilton Leithauser & Paul Maroon + Sammy & Hannah + Sarah Bethe Nelson + Doncat @ Swedish American Hall, SF 2/26/16
Hamilton Leithauser & Paul Maroon
There was a crescendo of sound at Swedish American Hall for Noise Pop on Friday night, starting with quiet Doncat and his acoustic guitar. Duncan Neilsen, who goes by Doncat, played mostly unreleased songs to an equally quiet and attentive audience. Though he sang “there’s no magic in the world,” Doncat rightfully denied the sentiment after the song.
The noise level rose a bit with Sarah Bethe Nelson playing songs off last year’s album Fast-Moving Clouds, a jangly dreamy set about bartending and looking for love.
Next up, Sammy & Hannah of the She’s experimented with a drum machine, crafting songs sounding like anything from Hilary Duff to a musical about high school relationships.
Hamilton Leithauser & Paul Maroon
Finally, Hamilton Leithauser took the state, accompanied by Paul Maroon on guitar and piano. They played songs off the recently-released Dear God, as well as an upcoming album Hamilton just finished. Aside from the music, he was very good at making the audience laugh both in between songs and in the midst of Paul’s piano solos.