The New Pornographers is a project that was never intended to last beyond one studio album. But more than a decade later the band is touring in support of its sixth album. Well, some projects are just too good to gracefully disappear, as the New Pornographers proved on Saturday at Englewood’s Gothic Theatre. Each pulled from their own successful solo projects, the members of the group all appeared on stage for a large, loud and long night of anthemic pop rock.
They played all but three tracks from Augustap release, “Brill Bruisers.” However, they still had plenty of time to dip into the back catalogue. It felt like they had all the time in the world, as they even took a request for “Sing Me Spanish Techno” then came back for a second encore. It was a casual but brisk show. Interactions with the audience were frequent and silly. Neko Case (wearing a black flying squirrel flight suit) and bandleader Carl Newman exchanged jokes several times as fans shouted their love. But the New Porn machine is nothing if not efficient and they easily crafted chaotic fan shouts into unified roars of cheering before slamming into the opening chords of another big song.
Focused on playing a packed two hours, their stage show was relatively simple. There isn’t much room for elaborate sets or lights when there’s 26 songs to play and eight band members to juggle. The keyboard stands lit up with bright LEDs, but the crowd seemed more enamored with the heavy rhythms and complex harmonies. The longer the set went on, the less Dan Bejar was on stage. His vocals and guitar match well with early grooves like “Myriad Harbour” but are less utilized for the later straight 4/4 arena rock closers. Bejar represents the eclectic make-up of the group and also shows why they are so successful at continuing on as a band. The chemistry that the members share is plain on stage, as it is in each of their albums.
The New Pornographers set list:
Brill Bruisers
Myriad Harbour
Use It
War On The East Coast
Moves
All The Old Showstoppers
Fantasy Fools
Jackie, Dressed In Cobras
Another Drug Deal Of The Heart
The Laws Have Changed
Hi-Rise
Testament To Youth In Verse
Crash Years
Adventures in Solitude
Spidyr
Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk
Backstairs
Silver Jenny Dollar
Champions Of Red Wine
Born With A Sound
Mass Romantic
First Encore
Dancehall Domine
Sing Me Spanish Techno
The Bleeding Heart Show
Second Encore
Twin Cinema
The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism
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Marc Hobelman makes websites at The Denver Post, and is a regular contributor to Reverb.
