Love is… §trange: Love§trange, Seve vs. Evan, Coral Bones Concert Review

Tiffany Frandsen | Deputy Managing Editor | @Tiffany_mf

 At Velour on Friday, Feb. 13, The LoveStrange performed live for the first time, with local indie groups Coral Bones and Seve vs. Evans, but from the band’s sound and stage presence, no one would know it was the first one. The concert served as an album release party for their debut rock record, “I Liked It, No I Didn’t,” and they played like they were born to.

The set started with a growing tidal wave of mingling sound while front man (alias) Karl Strange walked out wearing a sharp suit, polished shoes and sunglasses, looking just as cool as the underside of a pillow on the east coast in winter. The band sounded as militarily tight as the studio album, which is an experimental rock album that pulls influence from classic 80s and early 90s rock and adds some more modern-sounding keyboard and melodic “Oh-oh-ohs”  found so often in indie music these days to make it just hip enough.

After playing through the album (along with some comments and lots of gratitude from Karl Strange. For example, “Heartbeat” is about New York City), they played the familiar 1972 hit, “All The Young Dudes,” from David Bowie and Mott the Hoople for their encore (complete with “Hey! Dudes!”).

It was a night of adorable fan clubs – a few of the band members’ wives and (some tiny) kids (from both LoveStrange and Seve vs. Evan) came to rock out.

For those not already inducted into the cult following they have amassed, the charismatic Seve vs. Evan play poppy, lighthearted songs with whimsical lyrics about love on their drum kit and keyboard. The keyboard ranged from organ to toy piano to the regular setting. They’re a charming pair, with Seve wearing sweat pants and, a bolo tie and a Ushanka hat (the furry Russian hats) while singing “Don’t you see that I love you, my sweet albino queen?”

To show their love for fans, they offered everyone free CDs and announced the upcoming new music video. The love was palpably mutual, as at least a handful of the fans idolized Seve vs Evan. When Seve pulled off his shirt (those stage lights are hot!), a couple of the fans did too. And they knew every word.

Openers Coral Bones, a relatively new local band played an upbeat electro-indie set of some new songs mixed with a handful of tunes from the first album, “Youthemism.” Their new EP is almost finished and slated to release this summer.

The duo has a slightly psychedelic, power rock to their sound, with poppy looping and sometimes video game-y elements.