Throughout the entirety of their performance at Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday, The Clientele reminded me of the late great Alex Chilton. It was the first time I ever made the rather obvious connection—more than likely due to Chilton’s recent passing. I began to feel a desire for a Big Star cover imagining that singer Alasdair MacLean could definitely pull off those vocals. Sure enough, when the band returned for their encore, a dedication to Chilton with a cover of “Nightime” followed. I think Chilton would have been proud of just how beautifully they pulled off the incredible ballad which Paul Westerberg recently called his favorite Chilton tune.

Their Big Star cover wasn’t the only highlight of the set. The Clientele’s own shimmering 60s-sounding pop songs shined just as brightly mostly due to MacLean’s lovely breathy vocals. The bouncy “I Wonder Who We Are” from last year’s Bonfires on the Heath was a standout from a set that included special guests from Veviter and Ladybug Transistor.

As good as The Clientele were, they had to be because following Field Music (as they have all tour) was not an easy feat. From start to finish the fellow English quartet flawlessly performed one of the finest sets I’ve ever witnessed. A fan of their records but never quite blown away by them, Field Music is best experienced live, where the harmonies are bigger and the sound is a big less clean. Crafting proggy stop-on-a-dime rhythms, the members of Field Music traded off unbelievably executed harmonies while one of 2 Brewis brothers (David and Peter) commanded lead vocals. It was the type of musicianship that makes jaws drop, particularly the bass playing. Moments like “Give It, Lose it, Take It” and “All You’d Ever Need To Say” were at a level few bands will ever reach, Radiohead territory.