Last night’s show at the Wonder was pretty damn fantastic. As reported, Liars’ vocalist/guitarist Angus Andrew suffered a back injury some days back, but the band has decided to gamely carry on with their tour. Portland’s show was the third show so far, and Andrew spent nearly the entire set seated, as opposed to opening night in San Francisco during which he reportedly stood for a song or two. He had three chairs stationed around various parts of the stage, and would occasionally stagger from one to the next between songs. It was obvious he’s been in a lot of pain, but he seemed cheery and comfortable, probably due to some killer meds.

At one point he asked someone in the audience for a lighter so he could pop the top on his Beck's beer. If his back is not in great shape, his voice certainly is, and he howled and chanted his way through the Liars' repertoire with passion and commitment. He even wiggled his hands and fingers during some of the songs, as if he could hardly stand not to be playing. He did pick up a bass for a couple songs, but most of the time, he sat with mic in hand, occasionally looking as his band members with a look on his face like, "Damn, I had no idea this band was so good!"

And they were. They've brought in a fourth member to play guitar, and everything sounded tight and together. While many of their songs are atonal (and some are arhythmic), their skill of composition was striking in the live setting. Their records, while stunning, can sometimes sound like a shit slurry, a grand mess of sound created without design or form. Seeing the band live, it was obvious that nothing could be further from the truth. The craft and shape and progression of the songs (and yes, they most certainly are songs) was evident and inspiring.

It seems incomplete to mention the show without saying something about the Wonder Ballroom. I am consistently delighted with the shows I've seen there. Great sound, great sightlines, a warm and pleasant room, good bar service. They don't always book bands that I want to see, but when they do it's always a great experience. I'm certainly looking forward to the upcoming Pretty Things show in March. (The Pretty Things! The Pretty Things are coming!)

UPDATE: Pitchfork has pictures of last night's show here.