The room was quite full by 9:00pm when These United States began to play, but the floor in front of the stage was still largely unoccupied. The few who hugged the mangy, stained carpet which wraps over the stage-front were the true fans. Those who insisted on trying to talk to the band between every song and every time bassist Anna Morsett crouched down to have a sip of beer. But These United States ate it up; they fed off the energy of the crowd, but it was an energy they were creating. Every time they finished a song the crowd got more enthusiastic and gave the band more ammunition to light up like a bonfire and play harder.
Frontman Jamie Elliot has found a home and personal joy living on the road. One might think that having no permanent address for several years and an endless tour schedules would wear thin eventually, but Elliot seems to be the type of man who makes his home wherever he stands – and a third of that is on stage. He has a voice and wants to share it, he thrives on entertaining and clearly draws a wealth of happiness from his audience. A smile was brushed across his face almost the entire night as the rest of the band smiled back. Elliot living his dream was sweating through his clothes, shoulder length hair clinging to his face, playing with every ounce of joy in his thin frame.
Their live set was bursting out of its skin. These United States bounced through songs determined to pack as much music into an hour as they could. Tight, warm rhythms contained the pointed riffs and alt-country chugs with steel guitar swing. As every song ended, the band gained more appreciation from the crowd. The group added another layer to every tune, determined to outdo themselves and exceed expectations; the culmination of which involved tour mates Trampled by Turtles joining them on stage for each of their last three songs. Mandolin, violin and acoustic guitar were slowly added until the stage couldn’t hold any more people, and an all-out kitchen jam was lovingly performed before our eyes. Elliot ended up with his new friends in the crowd for the final song, enjoying the company of his temporary family before his exit.
And by the way, that dedicated fan hugging the carpet ended up on stage for a photo op only to execute the most epic stage dive fail. An entire crowd of people winced in pain for him paired with a laugh at his expense.
Artist:
www.theseunitedstates.net/
www.myspace.com/theseunited
www.facebook.com/theseunitedstates
www.twitter.com/#!/theseunited
Photos:
These United States – Lee's Palace – Toronto, Canada – 15/04/12
Tour:
These United States' tour with Trampled By Turtles continues. For an updated list of shows, click here .
Album:
These United States' fifth album will be self-titled and comes out on June 12, 2012. It is not yet available for pre-sale, but watch the band's web site and store on Amazon closely for updates.
