The lineup at Mercury Lounge on Wednesday was absolutely stellar, and I feel nothing less than privileged to have been there!

King Charles made an enormous first impression on me. Those who were there may think I’m talking about his skin-tight, striped unitard, but I’m actually referring to his amazing solo opening. Silencing the crowd with his smooth voice and breathtaking lyrics, the momentum that Charles brought to the stage only grew from there. Speaking eloquently and quickly, the deep meaning and metaphor to his lyrics was the perfect foil to the frivolity of his outfit. Keeping us on our toes by saying “we all need to start our own fires,” King Charles and his band closed the night with an intensity that perfectly complimented its calm beginning. Watching Charles climb and jump from the bass drum was simply the perfecting ending to a wildly entertaining and thought-provoking set.

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Next up was Bell, a two drum-kit band with fantastic force. What impressed me most about the set was the perfect synchronization of the band’s two drummers (one playing a full, standard kit and the other playing electronic pads). The two sets brought out the fullness and texture of a regular pattern and the intrigue and variation of one more electronic. I also appreciated the 80s throwback of singer and band namesake Olga Bell. Rocking a keytar, calculator watch, and sparkly gold jacket, she made for quite the interesting front-woman. Having read in a feature that her vocals are meant to be the focal point, though, I was surprised as to how little they stood out to me. Perhaps it was the fault of the speakers or where I was standing, but I definitely felt as though they didn’t match the strength of the songs’ driving beats.

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Darwin Deez, as expected, was an absolute thrill to watch. With a completely packed venue (their first sold-out United States show and definitely not their last), the band took the stage and measured up to the excitement the crowd was feeling. What I appreciated most was the atmosphere the band created on stage. The euphoria of the sold-out venue was obvious, and the four members simply seemed happy to be onstage and performing. The crowd, singing and clapping with gusto, was equally glad to be a part of the experience.

After being away on tour for the past six months, it was certainly nice to see the energy, choreography, and overall madness of Darwin Deez’s performance has only gotten better. Despite being trapped in the nook by the bass players stage monitor, which means that I got A LOT of bass in my ears, I still found myself struggling against the crowd to move a bit to their music. It’s contagious. Particularly after watching them dance around the stage, I couldn’t help but want to do the same myself.