Saint Motel brought their Motion Picture show to life, quite literally, at 9:30 Club with help from Kolars. To some, Saint Motel comes off as your typical bubble gum pop band, but they’re so much more than that upon further sonic inspection. Saint Motel successfully incorporates elements of disco, nowave, funk, and 80’s synth pop into a modern indie band… an indie power pop band with a huge handful of instantly recognizable songs that spark anyone in any mood into a dancing mood.
Kolars is a duo, consisting of married couple Rob Kolar and Lauren Brown. In their own words they are a “desert disco, space blues, glitterpunk band”. They are probably one of the most exciting and exhilarating opening bands I’ve ever seen. They electrified the entire club from start to finish featuring a crowd surf and tap dancing drum lines. They somehow combine the likes of T. Rex, Suicide, MC5, Dion, and Link Wray into their own punch of glitter and rock. Not only are Rob and Lauren incredible musicians, but their chemistry and unity as a couple reflect in their performing and tight knit sound.
After Kolars left the stage everyone had a moment to relax before we were taken on another roller coaster ride into the arctic winter. Saint Motel broke their set list up into 4 acts which featured a crowd surfing A.J. spaceman in a boat, a military strongman, and lots of jumping. We all started out in Everest and the band came out and started with “Cold Cold Man.” It only went up from there (pun intended.)
The second act, titled military march, featured A.J. dressed in a dictators uniform and lots of red abrasive lights. The band played a mix of new and old classic Saint Motel songs which was space perfectly to keep everyone on their toes jumping. The third act was titled Space and that’s when things took of into the night. An inflatable boat with a A.J. In a spaceman costume, aliens running around the pit, and the band even covered Sufjan Stevens, “Chicago.”
The last and final act was an encore titled Band Biopic. They ended the entire night with their biggest most recognizable song “My Type” and everyone including 9:30 staff went wild. Saint Motel’s ability to keep the crowd entertained whilst maintaining incredible musicianship and not missing a beat is unmatched by most. If you ever have a chance to see either band or need new tunes to dance and sing to Saint Motel and Kolars are your best bet.
Enjoy photos of Kolars and Saint Motel performing at the 930 Club on February 11, 2020. All photos copyright and courtesy of Alex Koch.
