The question was, “How are they going to fit?”
The Tonic Lounge’s stage is pretty small. I’ve seen three-piece acts look squished. So, when Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s eight members took to the stage Oct. 4, only seven actually made it, with the trumpet player/backup vocalist/rhythm shaker relegated offstage, standing on the other side of a speaker tower and looking sort of like he just wandered up and started playing along.
But the band must be used to all kinds of conditions as they tour in support of their upcoming release, especially with instruments that aren’t exactly small. But the full and powerful sound they allow was still on display in a compact set cut short by some band members oddly having to be elsewhere.
With guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, violin, tambourine, empty water cooler jug and more, Margot play heartfelt songs that meander from pop to rock by way of folk. Choruses are so sweetly delivered that it takes a few go-rounds before the lyrics “what the fuck is going on?” sink in.
Singer Richard Edwards leads the small army well, with his voice focusing all the varied sounds and keeping them unified. And things get really touching when he duets with keyboardist Emily Watkins, singing “I smoke, you smoke, we smoke together.”
But the band can rock just as well as swoon, and songs that are just upbeat in the studio, such as closer “Skeleton Key,” become roaring when brought to life live.
Another reason things were tight on stage is the presence of a couple ringers, Anton Patzner on violin and Lewis Patzner and cello, of opening act Judgment Day, added to the violin of Margot’s Eric Kang.
Classical metal
Judgment Day, rounded out by Jon Bush on drums, exemplifies a little genre called string metal. And it’s exactly what it sounds like. It is amazing to watch these classical instruments being made to sound like a bass guitar on steroids or a metal guitar solo from the ’80s.
With a little distortion, the chamber instruments became tools of rock that had a much bigger sound than the electrics of most bands. The players moved the bows so fast across the strings that it seemed certain something would reach its breaking point.
Often the music would remind one of folk metal from Europe, with very fast, intricate parts. But just when you’d normally hear some guttural roar or sing-songy refrain, there would just be a new melody or heavy crunch from the strings, and this vacation from metal vocals was a wonderful vacation.
Power rock
In between Judgment Day and Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s was David Vandervelde, and his accompanying band that for the night, at least, went by Lickety Split. Vandervelde plays multiple instruments and works as a producer, but his act was straight-up rock with a sharp retro edge that didn’t feel dated.
Their moppish hair whirled in the air as the trio set into their first song, a new one called “F---in’ Around.” Some scatting and falsetto flirtations really brought to mind ’60s rock, but the music was modern power rock.
Folk rock
Local band Buster Blue ended the night, and a fair amount of Margot’s crowd stuck around even though it was then past 1 a.m. Their traditional opener “Ain't No Heaven on the County Road” sounded even more explosive than usual, as Jason Ricketts sang from his spleen while hollering the mournful lyrics.
Their folk anthems are typically somber or sweet, and nicely complemented by Bryan Jones' commentary between songs, sh as recalling his sex dream about Cher (“In my defense, it was ’60s Cher. It wasn’t Cher in her 60s.”). And he introduced a slightly disturbing but nevertheless heartfelt song by saying “Another murder ballad, because sometimes verbally abusing someone isn't enough.”
And seeing every instrument played by at least two people continues to impress me. In this case, having something be passed around only makes it classier.
Aside from original works, they threw in a cover of Tom Waits’ “Yesterday is Here” and ended the night with the somnolent crowd favorite “Isabelle.”
So after 2 a.m., the concert came to a close. It was undoubtedly a rock show, but it was a treat to see the meaning of the genre be so wonderfully stretched by such variety in tone and instrument.
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