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Real Estate at the Bowery Ballroom

Photo by Brian Stollery

Real Estate
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY
November 23

‘Twas the night before Thanksgiving and Real Estate had just returned from their extended fall tour. Back just in time for the annual Turkey day, the band closed out the tour with somewhat of a homecoming show, many of their family and friends filling Bowery Ballroom’s upper balcony on the cool fall night.

Real Estate have performed at Bowery Ballroom several times in the opening slot for bands such as Woods and Girls. But on Wednesday night, the group sold out their own headlining gig at the coveted New York venue, playing a show that quickly separated itself from the others I have seen from them this year.

From the first note of the infectious Days opener “Easy,” the band seemed excited to be playing for the packed New York crowd. Singer Martin Courtney looked relaxed, his vocals—having crept out from beneath the wash of reverb—sounded clear and his guitar work showed itself to be more intricate than most would imagine. At times, bassist Alex Bleeker could be heard diverting from his composed basslines, veering off in directions that added new elements to the songs—one of the key factors separating Real Estate from their indie rock peers, who mostly play their songs note-for-note.

Photo by Brian Stollery

As is often the case with a band that is just wrapping up a lengthy tour, the members of Real Estate sounded fully connected from the outset. After going through some lineup changes earlier this year, it seemed to take some time for Real Estate to adjust to the current five member format. On Wednesday, however, Real Estate sounded like a true five-piece. Recently added drummer Jackson Polis emerged as a standout throughout the show while multi-instrumentalist Jonah Maurer could be heard adding tasteful flourishes of synth and slide guitar.

For much of the show, the band leaned on material off their new album, while adding in selections like “Beach Comber,” “Suburban Dogs” and “Fake Blues” from their debut. The lone cover of the evening came in the form of Felt’s “Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow,” with guitarist Matt Mondanile taking on vocal duties that paid sincere tribute true to the original.

After closing out the show with “Fake Blues,” Mondanile and Bleeker simultaneously thanked the crowd for the hundredth time before reemerging with the rest of the band for the first Real Estate encore I have personally ever witnessed—a jammed out version of “Suburban Beverage.” In many ways, the night carried a celebratory vibe similar to the Thanksgiving holiday. The band joked with the crowd and made several references to the looming Turkey feast—Bleeker proclaimed that he enjoys the following day’s “Thanksgiving sandwich” more than the meal itself. After what was surely the longest set I have ever seen Real Estate perform, the band thanked us for coming out once again and then exited the stage. Much like the following night, few left hungry.