On arriving at a crammed Deaf Institute, it is apparent that New Jersey’s number one indie revivalists, Real Estate, have conquered the collective heart and mind of the North West. It comes as little surprise because the band’s second album, Days, is an accomplished suite of finely crafted pop gems in the mould of '80s cult acts like Felt and The Feelies.
The quartet emerges from the wings and the set begins with 'Out of Tune'. After a decent run through, things start to unravel. It seems they have forgotten to agree on how to solve the problem of fading out a song in a live environment. After some awkward glances, 'Out of Tune' eventually peters out as they concede that the thread has been lost. “OK” says singer/guitarist Martin Courtney with a smile, as if to draw a line under the mishap.
While the band regroups, I can’t help but notice that the couple in my eye line is engaged in what can only be described as “snogging”. A guy leans over and says “I broke up with my girlfriend about a week ago; I want to kill them both”. Understandably, public displays of affection aren’t his thing any more.
The show continues with 'Easy', the freewheeling opener from Days, and we are back on track. 'Green Aisles' and 'It’s Real' are as captivating live as they are on record, but the songs from Real Estate’s eponymous debut - especially fan favourite 'Fake Blues' - fare better than the new tracks. Their ragged charm seems to translate more effectively than the “polished” side of Real Estate’s sound.
“We really like this venue, so it’s good to be here,” says Courtney. One wonders then, why he and his bandmates have moaned about the microphones, the guitar sound and the lighting in between every song. “It just sounds really dry up here” says bassist Alex Bleeker. I think it’s safe to say that they aren’t huge fans of the live experience.
Real Estate bring the main set to a stirring close with 'All the Same', a song that makes fine use of their substantial cache of infectious melodies and guitar hooks. The finale builds into a jangly dual between Mondanile and Courtney before gradually slowing down to snail’s pace, barely held together by Jackson Pollis' languid drumbeat.
When they return for the encore, Real Estate offer two more songs, the second of which is the somewhat bland instrumental 'Kinder Blumen'. On the way out someone says, “it wasn’t boring, it was just a bit amateurish”. That may be a little harsh, but there was certainly something lacking.