Seattle’s all-ages concert guide You don’t need fake ID to have fun.

For our very second Three Imaginary Girls show review (they have begun booking all ages shows in addition to their past 21+ ones!), I am very pleased to share about what turned out to be a very dandy show at the Chop Suey this Thursday night. The indie-pop bands were sweet, the summer sun was setting gorgeously, and the venue was comfortably full, exceptional for a Thursday night.

First up was Tullycraft, something of an institution for both TIG and Seattle, whom I had never seen before. Even though I knew very few of the songs though, they played the kind of music that makes everyone just smile while they listen: fans and the band themselves. The reason for this, I think, lies in my theory that Tullycraft sounds exactly like summer would if it had its own album. With perky melodies and guitar riffs, and vocals that sound just like that cute neighbor boy who’s got a surprise, Tullycraft brings out the exact same feelings, for me at least, as games of capture the flag, neighborhood barbeques, and riding the fast rides at the town fair. Okay, I probably wasn’t singing along to “fuck me I’m twee” in my capture the flag days. The feeling though, was the same, and probably more fitting than capture the flag in a 17 year old’s summer vacation.

Anyways, Tullycraft played a very fun set, chatted with eachother and the audience, and all together played a very fun show. I do, however, have to register one of the same complaints Zach did when he saw them. It really has nothing to do with their stage performance, but when someone says they like your music, guys, please, just say thank you. Don’t scoff, or shrug it off, or make some comment about something dumb. You’re too good for that. So there.

Next up came Math and Physics Club, a band which was introduced to me by John Richards a few months back, and they were now playing their second EP release show. I picked up a copy, almost three quarters for the track “Graduation Day,” a song I played in June on my graduation day, and a song that is almost certain to stick to my graduation memories for the rest of… ever. Music is one of those things that lingers in my memories, which can sometimes be a curse (Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” is attatched to all my senior dances), but for Math and Physics Club, it’s a pleasure. Their energy is a few steps down from Tullycraft’s, but Math and Physics club embodies a still sunny, but more pensive and mellow moment. Their vocalist was very quite while speaking, and, while entirely audible while singing, maintained that tentative sound that gives it a distinct sweet sound. I think my very favorite bit about their band, however, is the violin. I adore classical instruments in modern music, but the violin can be rather finnicky when played without several other violins to even out. However, this violin was very well played, and thus added a very sweet, intemporal sound to the music and tied in well with the other sounds of their music.

Before I launch into the Salteens, I would like to share two important details. Detail One, is that it is impossible to eat ten salteens in a minute. The salteens dry out the saliva, and they are impossible to swallow. I have won many a bet with the knowledge of this small fact, and so I hope that after this is published, it is put to the test and several non-readers (curses) end up with slightly lighter wallets. This has nothing to do with the band, however.

The second bit needs a bit of setup. So we’ll call these details two A and two B. Detail two A is that it was a Thursday night, and most people have places to be in the morning and therefore do not stay at shows very late. Detail two B is that very few people I talked to had even heard of the Salteens, and those who had hadn’t heard very much. Because of these details, I really had no idea what to expect, and honestly wasn’t expecting much. So here’s the official detail two: they got people dancing, pulled an encore, and were very fun.

This Canadian (like our very own Alec-Rene, sometimes called Alec-eh?) group brought a bit more of a rock twist to the cheery pop for the evening. They were just as cheery and poppy, but dropped a little of the twang, brought in some more guitars, and went heavier on the drums. As stated before, they got people dancing, and they invited clapping, and alternated vocals a bit between their male lead and their female keyboardist. I was quite pleasantly surprised, to say the least. And, lucky us, for their encore, they informed us that they were playing two songs that were as of yet unreleased and unperformed, even in Canada. Apparently they had exhausted their supply during their main set, and so we got a sneak peak at some fabulous new stuff. They finished off the evening, and completed what was just a great bill for a warm sunny day (and did I mention I took home a fabulous poster? I did).