I Love You Just Like You Love Me – Porches at Neumos

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Author: Madeline Thomas

Photo courtesy of Instagram user @jamprad

Seattle is home to a few different breeds of hipsters/alt-trash/indie individuals—whatever you want to call the millennial generation’s cool kids. It seemed as if every group was represented in the crowd at the Porches show last weekend. The skaters, donning shallow beanies and dilapidated Vans, drank Rainier alongside the pacific northwest groupies—lovers of coffee, REI, and beard oil. Norm core new balance wearers and soft goth queers mingled with quirky artist-types in berets and face paint at Neumos on March 3rd. The music of Aaron Maine, lead singer of Porches, united these niche groups with undeniable synth-pop appeal. It’s safe to say everyone in the crowd had a crush on at least one of, if not all, the members of Porches. Aaron gave a shoutout to each member during songs in which their instrument was highlighted; Maya, the bassist, released music for her solo project True Blue earlier this year.

Photo courtesy of Instagram user @sushi.sioux

The amount of times Aaron thanked the audience for showing up to the sold-out show was surpassed only by how often he told us he loved us. Fans voiced their mutual adoration, a few voices proclaiming their love for him, offering marriage proposals and suggesting (demanding?) songs be played. The set list was killer and the band stuck around for four encore songs, to thanks us for the support. Most of the songs came from Pool. Dance tracks like “Underwater” and “Be Apart” got the crowd to sway and jump around as much as allowed by the packed venue.

While singing the lyrics to “Car”, Aaron showed off his interpretive dance skills, and also flipped us off, but I took it as a sign of his previously expressed love. As blue and purple lights engulfed his outline, Aaron crooned into the mic, occasionally putting down his guitar for slower songs, like those off of the most recent Porches’ album The House. We even got to see some cowbell action.

After playing a few newer songs, he took a break to thank us yet again, touched by seeing us singing along to the new music. “Country” was a softer moment in the set. Dancing resumed when they played “Find Me”, a whimsical techno bop, also from The House. For a Seattle show, the Neumos crowd that night was reasonably active. It’s difficult to resist the urge to twirl around while listening to Porches; I was pleasantly surprised to find that most audience members gave into their head-bobbing, hip swinging desires.

Four encore songs kept fans smiling and singing along, albeit mostly off-key, but hey, it’s the thought that counts, right? When I heard the first cords of “Headsgiving” ring out from Aaron’s guitar, I audibly gasped. Could it be? Were they really playing the age-old classic, the emo-kid anthem of my senior year of high school, the ramshackle guitar rock melody that kept me company during so many car-ride cries? It was true. The venue was like one big echo chamber. Each time the chorus came around, Aaron asked, his voice warm and raspy, “what do you do when you wanted to die?” Maybe I’m corny—okay, I fully admit I am corny as hell—but I felt the need to thank Aaron for playing this song. Being able to scream along to the line “then you wake up and you don’t want to die anymore”, was everything my high school self needed, and everything my present self wanted. Thank you, Porches, for bringing me and my indie/alt trash cohorts the peace of mind our younger selves may not have thought we would one day feel.

Photo courtesy of Instagram user @thesmallfonts

MADELINE THOMAS | super emo but I never cry | KXSU Music Reporter

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