Back in the old days when there was money in the music industry, crazy shit was happening backstage and girls were having sex with bands a lot. Groupies stirred around backstage waiting to give blow jobs to singers and guitar players, and to a less extent drummers and bassists. Not so much the keyboard player.

Tuesday night, We Were Promised Jetpacks were opening for Twilight Sad at Bowery Ballroom, and in front of me an insanely intoxicated young girl was trying to find a way to get backstage to have her chance to get her, hands, lips and and whatever else onto the drummer, who apparently was friends with someone she knew. She attempted to get his attention while he pounded away at the skins, and managed to draw attention from nearly the entire crowd at times, as she and her friend sang loudly and off key, and continuously yelled things like “Scotland!” between songs. All this for a drummer in a band that hardly anyone has ever heard.

I don’t know if she ever got her chance at pleasuring him, but Darren Lackie and the rest of his band sure as hell pleased the entire crowd with an intense set justifying the recent heavy dosage of attention the band has been receiving. Like much of their Scottish brothers, there is a major early U2 influence evident in their songs. It’s straight forward rock ‘n’ roll, without the quirky bullshit that a lot of new indie bands rely upon. Theirs is the sound of a working class band, and this is no haircut band. The four members of We Were Promised Jetpacks look working class. Every minute of their set, it felt as though they were headlining, playing every as though it were their last, especially crowd favorite “Quiet Little Voices.” And when they finally played their last note, the venue cleared out a bit, despite a pair of very solid bands following them.
First to follow was Fat Cat labelmates BrakesBrakesBrakes. Equipped with a sense of humor and very short songs, they failed to make the same level of impact as We Were Promised Jetpacks. Their songs were varied from country to punk to power pop, often times hinting at Teenage Fanclub’s under-appreciated sounds. If only every song was as good as “Don’t Take Me to Space (Man)” their set would have been brilliant.

Headlining the night was Twilight Sad who are touring in support of their new record “Forget the Night Ahead.” Sophomore records are tough. Like like The Strokes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and even The Clash have suffered at trying to follow up a remarkable debut, and I feel that Twilight Sad’s debut can definitely be called remarkable. The odd cryptic storytelling and driving noise made for a chilling effect, as the band combined the sounds of My Bloody Valentine, U2, and former tourmates Frightened Rabbit. Unfortunately the band’s sophomore record doesn’t quite measure up to its predecessor. It’s darker, it’s heavier, and at times owes a bit to Mogwai, but fails to be as interesting. I hoped my feelings about the record would change when hearing it performed live, but their performance seemed to lag when performing the new songs. That said, older songs like “Talking with Fireworks/Here, It Never Snowed” sounded just as brilliant live as on record, performed with an extra passion. The highlight of the performance came when singer James Graham decided to sing “Cold Days From the Birdhouse” from within the crowd. It’s moments like that that can be the turning point between a good show and an unforgettable one.