Live music review: Nation of Language Stubb’s ACL Festival Late Night show
Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest) performance artists Nation Of Language played one of the many late night options at Stubb’s BBQ inside late Saturday night after a lengthy performance by the jam band Goose on the outside stage. Taking the stage at 1 a.m., the Brooklyn-based ‘80s inspired, electronic beat/dance outfit played to a mostly locals packed room for a performance that found the stripped down, no frills setting set electrified by the energy and sounds of this young band that is quickly finding its way into the nostalgia mind trip of music fans young and old.
Nation of Language’s energy is as infectious as it was necessary in the minimalist setting of the intimate (and spare) inside stage at Stubb’s. A refashioned blend of sounds from the classic burgeoning dance club scene set in the ‘80s, Nation Of Language wears their influences well while dancing the fine line of avoiding obvious duplication. The sounds, emotions, and overall vibe pulled indirectly from pioneers like Human League, New Order, Propaganda, When In Rome, Flock Of Seagulls, and OMD to name a few.
Executed flawlessly by the trio of Ian Richard Devaney, Alex MacKay, and Aiden Noell on their two full-length recordings, held strong in the stripped down environment. Any doubt that Nation Of Language was capable of delivering a performance unaccompanied by the dark cover of a room punctuated with a competent light show and a fog machine or two were quickly dismissed as the trio danced and played their way through a solid set of material fueling the spirit of the crowd well into the night.
Unlike many of their influences or what appear to be their influences, Nation Of Language’s strength lies not just within standout tracks on their albums but their recordings as a whole, while never really settling into a sound or pace that feels repetitive. Both 2020’s Introduction, Presence and 2021’s A Way Forward are solid recordings from front to back almost seamless between the albums themselves.
Kicking the set off with what might be the most familiar territory for many “This Fractured Mind”, each track following felt as familiar and unique as they do recorded while the band carefully crafted a set that continually pushed the vitality of their performance, as well as audience engagement. Stating that they were hopping on a plane home after the set, the band seemed to be dumping everything they had into the performance as if it were the last show for a bit, while a return to tour Europe once again this year was only a few days away.
The generally familiar subject matter of “Wounds Of Love” felt more soothing than painfully reflective while the self-reflective, introspective “September Again” fell in step with the seasonal transition. The recent 7” single release “From The Hill” hints that there is plenty of creative energy left for the future of this band. Joined on stage by a member of the band Glove (also performing at ACL Fest) for a little extra guitar work, the band closed out the show with “Across That Fine Line”.
2 a.m. forced a close to a set that felt it could go on for much longer, sustaining the energy and interest of the audience. An audience that may have been experiencing the joy and energy of this classic resurgence either for the very first time or time tripping to familiar days of youth.
All photos by Michael Maly
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