Page France - Live at HOB

Ahh yes, after immersing myself in Page France's music for the past nine months it was quite the treat to finally see them live. Although they were sandwhiched in between local San Diegan's Kite Flying Society and the Anathallo brigade, I'm only going to write about my beloved Maryland indie-poppers because I've already reviewed each of the other's live shows. (If you'd like to check out my previous reviews on the other said bands, you can do so here and here!)

Before Page France even played their first song I was pretty dissapointed that they weren't headlining, but I tried not to let that get me down. Michael Nau 'n company came right out of the gate with "Junkyard" and my first reaction was how well Nau's voice came across live - crystal clear - just like on the records. From here Page France played a well balanced mix of tunes from both EP's and Hello, Dear Wind.

One of the highlights throughout the night were Nau's, perceived improvisiations on some of the songs. At the end of "Junkyard" he added multiple verses, which although I can't remember, I can still assure you were fantastic and a nice deviation from the expected. To close the night, the crew finished with "Chariot," but Nau added a few verses on to the end while using the catchy hook from "Feathers": "...and we will be a happy ending." Overall, the show completely delivered as Nau's clear voice and pleasant lyric additions were an excellent expansion to their recorded work. The night just solidified in my mind what a prolific singer/songwriter Michael Nau is, and why Page France is one of the best bands out there right now.

-mp3- Page France - Junkyard
-mp3- Page France - Bush

Setlist:
Junkyard
Say Wolf In The Summertime
Dogs
Pigeon (New Song!)
(Ahh, forget!)
Elephant
Antarctica
Windy
Chariot / Feathers