Good-bye-Spy

Ruby Coast took the stage first as it was the hometown heroes' special night. They played their jangly indie rock to a fairly thick and boisterous crowd. Youthfulness showed, not in an excessively energetic way, nor in a completely inept technical manner but it was present. On a few tracks I thought I could close my eyes and just as easily it could be Tokyo Police Club on stage banging out a new tune. A couple highlights were More than Television, and I Live with Monsters though I feel like they've only ever written 8 songs and all of them were played last night. Besides the d-bag that kept hopping on stage to totally obscure most of the band with his pudgy face it was a solid show. (7)

In their final show (at least for awhile they say) Spymachine 16 didn't change things too much from their regular shows. The six-piece sung ensemble over the prominent keys, ripping through most of their hits including I Lost my Edge Last Night and On Struggles for Change and Hope. The ebar was hosting a solid crowd to witness their last spectacle and most of the patrons were bopping around to their infectiously upbeat indie rock. It was a loose show that saw the girl on keys with the pointless stage banter hop up for some crowd surfing, causing her fellow band members to laugh through their lyrics. The dbag returned again much to my chagrin - even daring to interrupt the "lead" singer's song intro by grabbing the mic and flapping his oversized lips. After a round of thank-you's and goodbyes - both to the audience and to other members they closed out their last tune and fell into a round of hugs all around. A swell cap to a seemingly fun but somewhat shortlived band's life - part of me hope's that the evil Jerkmachine 61 will resurface in the future, if only to force Spymachine out of hiding to vanquish their arch-enemy. (6.5)