Review: The Mowgli’s with The Modern Electric & Summerays

Oh, what a night!

Summerays, a three-piece serf pop band from Cleveland, kick started this spectacular show with a solid set. What I liked most about Summerays was the fact that they weren’t loud and obnoxious like a lot of bands have the tendency to be — their music was soft, melodic, and almost felt like you were being transported to Coachella. My only problem with the band is the fact that they hardly smiled, which they really need to do because they’re incredibly talented and should be happy about that!

Before The Modern Electric took the stage, I thought I knew what was coming. I’ve listened to their music a few times, but no matter how many times you listen to The Modern Electric’s recorded music, nothing will ever prepare you for how they sound live. Most bands would trade their souls to sound as good as The Modern Electric do, and that’s some pretty serious business. The band began their set with a high energy song that was so high on energy that the bassist actually broke a string. Their performance only escalated from there though because with every song they played, not only did the band increase their energy, but so did the crowd — everyone was dancing like there was no tomorrow! Each song had its own unique sound and carried you away to a different time and place that’s just happier and better than the place you’re at now. One of my favorites was probably “David Bowie (Save Us All)” because the lyrics and piano are incredible and its just generally a great song to jam to. Also, I have to point out that the bassist and drummer switched roles for a song which I thought was interesting. At one point, the two of them were actually playing on the percussion kit at the same time which you don’t see everyday. All in all, The Modern Electric are probably one of few bands that can actually blow your mind away during a concert, so if I were you I would go to one of their shows immediately (they have one coming up on 12/23 at the Beachland Ballroom).

Even though my mind was still recovering from being blown away by The Modern Electric, I somehow managed to pay attention to The Mowgli’s performance. The Mowgli’s sound is somewhere in between that of Summerays and The Modern Electric, so it was the perfect way to end the night and bring the concert full circle. They took the stage with such infectious enthusiasm and energy that it was really hard not to sway and dance along with them. They were definitely less high on energy than The Modern Electric, but they still had plenty of energy bouncing off of each other on stage (Katie, one of the lead vocalists, was dancing the entire time). Each song was pleasant and preached love at some point or another, but none of their songs are really quite as popular as “San Francisco” which can be heard in countless nationwide commercials. Of course they closed their upbeat set with the well-known “San Francisco,” but they also managed to sneak in a cover of Hall & Oates’ “What I Want” which matched perfectly with the The Mowgli’s jangly, feel-good sound.