Northern State Rock the Middle East Upstairs
Northern State
Record Pre-release Show
Middle East Upstairs
08/22/07
As I watched Northern State perform on stage at the Middle East Upstairs, I had to hand it to them – it was a Wednesday night crowd (tired and basically unequipped to do much of anything but stand in one spot, arms crossed, sometimes head-bobbing) at one of the smallest clubs in Cambridge, but Spero, Sprout and Hesta Prynn were as energetic, funny and focused as if they were playing a sold-out crowd at the FleetCenter. And maybe even more incredibly, they even inspired people in the famously standstill Bostonian crowd to dance...
The set was short – a little over 45 minutes – but in that time, Northern State covered 90% of Can I Keep This Pen?, as well as a few welcome gems from their previous albums -- “Girl for all Seasons” (from 2004’s All City) and what Hesta Prynn described as the “Northern State Megamix:” the first two verses of “The Man’s Dollar” (off of 2003s Dying in Stereo) backed into the last two verses of “Last Night” (All City). Even though Hesta Prynn commented that the group is “way less militant now” (than their attitude on All City), Northern State delivered the older songs with no less drive and passion.
There is no denying that a lighter vibe permeates Can I Keep This Pen?; lyrics about margaritas and other cocktails, food, and chilling with their pals are the main focus here, even though there is a clearly defined political stance through the album. These three MCs looked like the were having a blast as they ripped through the best songs on Pen, namely the old school “Things I’ll Do,” the playful “Oooh Girl,” the ass-kicking “Sucka Mofo,” and the sing-song “The Three Amigas.”
One of the features most notable on Can I Keep This Pen? is the presence of more singing on the album, on tracks like “Away, Away” and “Run Off the Road.” The only minute of shaky ground in the performance came during the harmonies in “Away, Away,” which were carried off, but not confidently. As this was Northern State’s first live outing of their new material, one criticism is an infinitesimal blip on the radar.
Spero, Hesta Prynn, and Sprout know how to write powerful, fun and timely songs; work a crowd; and perhaps most importantly, have a good time doing it. This was a great show, and I feel lucky to have seen the band play at such an intimate venue. They’ll be back in Boston opening for Tegan and Sara in November, and I assure you that Northern State put on a performance that’s not to be missed.
