The Dodos kick off North American tour with casual confidence

Playing the first show of their 2018 North American tour in hometown San Francisco, indie rock duo The Dodos had a lot to be excited about. Not only were they embarking on their first tour since 2015, but they also released their seventh album Certainty Waves (2018) the same day. Despite a three year break from touring, singer-guitarist Meric Long released a debut synth-based album as FAN in May. Shortly after, Long and drummer Logan Kroeber celebrated the 10th anniversary of their acclaimed sophomore album Visiter (2008) with an exclusive full-album performance for Noise Pop Festival.

With all this taken into account, The Dodos seemed more than ready to share their torrential energy with The Independent on Friday night— though not without their trademark humility. While the average band in their position might be itching for an explosive celebration, The Dodos maintained an undeniably casual demeanor. Working their own soundcheck and eschewing any grand entrances, the duo cut right to the music and opened with the yearning stomp of “Coughing”— the first of several first-time performances throughout the night.

Continuing with two of their catchiest songs from the last five years, “Confidence” from Carrier (2013) and “Competition” from Individ (2015), the duo yielded virtuosic control over the meticulous rhythms that fuel the band’s propulsive sound. Without any fancy lighting or stage visuals, the stage was devoted entirely to the stunning musicianship of Long and Kroeber as they willed immense energy from their instruments. And as their songs ended with breakneck momentum, the musicians remained unphased, wearing gentle smiles as the audience cheered.

If anything is clear from The Dodos’ live performance, it’s how incredibly dexterous and in-sync Long and Kroeber are with each other. Throughout their discography, the duo has always exemplified a signature harmony between the equally essential elements of Long’s polyrhythmic folk guitar and Kroeber’s unconventionally active and complementary drumming. As their releases have evolved, becoming more and more driven by impossibly variable time signatures and rhythmic experimentation, The Dodos have shown that they’re not only up to the challenge, but specifically crafting their musical performance around it.

Take “IF” for instance, which surged frenetically forward with fuzzy guitar licks, distorted synth pulses, and machine-like linear drumming— an adrenalized combination that felt ready to fly off the rails from the first few notes. With their live use of complex guitar loops and drum-pad triggered countermelodies, keeping each song together was an impressive feat alone, and only made more compelling by Long’s melancholic and mantra-like vocals.

The duo also played a few older acoustic favorites, contrasting the mathy fervor of most of their set with the calmer lyrical lead in “Winter” and the joyous bounce of “Fools,” both from celebrated album Visiter. Although The Dodos’ older songwriting style is markedly different from their more recent releases, the set felt perfectly cohesive because the instrumental performance was equally exhilarating throughout.

The intricate musical space within Long and Kroeber’s live performance is undoubtedly unique, embracing their musical idiosyncrasies of polyrhythmic density and maniacal energy to an endlessly explorable effect— like a rhythmic puzzle. Psychedelic post-punk artist Prism Tats was a perfect opener for exemplifying that same spirit of musical oddity. Both Prism Tats and The Dodos crafted vibrant and pleasurably kinetic worlds with their live songs, and while watching their bodies jolt with the music, it’s hard to imagine they are being anything but themselves on stage.

In between all of their impressively angular and dynamic performances, The Dodos remained casual but grateful throughout. Before the night was over, the duo had thanked the designer of Long’s shirt, coworkers of Kroeber’s for “keeping a drummer employed,” and to San Francisco for letting them get their start, over a decade ago. And while it may have been hard to see explicit excitement on their faces the whole time, the smiles they gave each other in between songs were enough to speak to their appreciation of being back on stage. After a satisfying set, they closed the night with an encore of Individ’s booming “Goodbyes and Endings.” With that kind of energy to kick off, The Dodos surely have a strong and exciting tour ahead of them.