Oh Wonder is a pleasant studio band. They’re not innovators, they’re not viscerally emotional and they’re not immediately attention-grabbing, but their self-titled debut is a fun electronic pop album to throw on in the background. Their hooks are strong enough to overcome their repetitive songwriting, and the harmonies of Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West are subdued yet meaningful.
Oh Wonder is a pleasant live band as well. Having only a 52-minute album’s worth of material to pull from, they bounce around from single to single perfectly recreating their lovely, if inoffensive, studio material live. As a result, their show at The Jefferson Theater last Thursday teetered with their studio work’s flaws. “Oh Wonder” is a repetitive album saved by consistent songwriting. This repetition leaked through in a concert setting.
The show was saved, however, by the obvious enthusiasm of both the performers and the crowd. Vander Gucht was cheerful enough to give near-saccharine speeches throughout, while the giant crowd Oh Wonder pulled were all clearly big fans.
This is a band who has sold out shows in London, Paris and New York, so it’s no surprise to find a large enough fanbase in a college town to fill up The Jefferson. There’s something endearing about so many people singing and dancing to hits like “Drive” and “Technicolour Beat,” which made the whole show worth attending. The brevity of the band’s output worked in their favor, as nothing went on for too long and the show was over by 10:30 p.m.
Unfortunately, there was notably less excitement for opening act Kevin Garrett. Garrett has the ideal voice for his R&B tunes, but the crowd’s lack of familiarity with his work and his unenergetic songs left the crowd unable to sing along or dance, and the performance felt lackluster. It’s a shame because, while he’s talented enough to deserve better, his music demands the listener’s focus, which was next to impossible as an opening act paired with a chatty crowd.
Fans of Oh Wonder certainly enjoyed their live performance. Those unfamiliar hopefully found something to smile about in the music.
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