Celebrating a duet of 20th anniversaries, tonight’s double headliner offers Ben Gibbard an opportunity to present the seminal works of his two most influential outfits: indie legends Death Cab For Cutie’s Transatlanticism, and the electronically-propelled Give Up by The Postal Service.
First up are Scottish legends Teenage Fanclub, these days featuring Euros Childs on lush backing harmonies and keys. They’re clearly pleased to be here, describing Cardiff as “a second home for some of us, first home for a couple of us” and their jovially delivered, melodically meticulous power-pop is lapped up by an already swelling crowd.
Of tonight’s co-headliners, Death Cab hit the stage first. Clad in black, their energy is impressive: for a man about to deliver two sets back-to-back, the eternally youthful Gibbard is remarkably full of beans, hurling himself around the stage with abandon. These songs clearly mean an awful lot to many of those in the room tonight, and there is a real emotional connection here. Transatlanticism is one of those LPs that is really etched into the subconscious of a generation of indie/emo fans and songs like The Sound Of Settling have huge chunks of the room repeating back every line.
Contrasting in both presentation (all-white) and style, The Postal Service are no less popular. While Death Cab… are really the Ben Gibbard Show, this time the grinning frontman is entirely upstaged by the magnetic presence of the prowling, pouting Jenny Lewis, who lends these gentle anthems an unlikely swagger. An encore of a stripped-back ‘remix’ of Such Great Heights, performed by the two singers alone, gives both one more chance to shine before the whole ensemble joins them on stage to run through a cover of Depeche Mode’s Enjoy The Silence.
It is tempting to daydream as to Gibbard and co.’s aspirations when crafting these LPs in the early 00s – did they envision performing these songs in arenas? Regardless, they translate gloriously to the setting, and there is a sense of satisfaction to be gleaned by witnessing these cult success stories (both Transatlanticism and Give Up achieved platinum sales in the States and have built admirable fanbases this side of the pond) given their due in front of arena audiences.
The Postal Service, Death Cab For Cutie + Teenage Fanclub, Utilita Arena Cardiff, Sat 24 Aug
words HUGH RUSSELL photos JON HERRON
