Ever had a guilty musical pleasure? Sure you have. In addition to loving early Rod Stewart, various trilling baby-talk songs by Kate Bush and the complete recorded works of Tammy Wynette, I happen to also very much enjoy elements of Omaha, Nebraska party/loud pop/synchronized dance band TILLY AND THE WALL. And I saw them play live last night for the first time. And lo, it was good. 

I almost blew it off entirely, having bought the ticket right when the show was announced, yet before hearing their godawful new album “Heavy Mood”. As I wrote about back in 2008 when I first heard them, they’re probably the most overtly commercial indie-rock band I’ve ever liked, but that’s not damning them. Before their dumb dance-yr-ass-off new disco record with mostly terrible songs, they were a very unique act. Read my explanation here for what attracted me to them in the first place. 

As it turns out, that’s what they were like live, too. All cynicism melted away very quickly. I mean, they throw balloons into the crowd, people! Are you with me? Sure, one of the singers was right out of dumb-rocker central casting: “You guys are so AWESOME tonight, San Franicsco!”. “Oh my god you guys, your town is so AWESOME! Can I move here?” etc. But they played the songs I liked and very little of the new album, and they played them all with zest and panache. A woman tap danced. Their straight-up dance song “Beat Control”, which I actually had to talk myself into not rejecting out of hand when it came out, was great. I stayed through the encore. I’d probably even go again, knowing what I know now. So sue me.