Jukebox the Ghost + Little Daylight: Danbury, Connecticut (Photos)

Little Daylight‘s Hello Memory is one of the more memorable pop albums to come my way in 2014 and it is one I find myself listening to more often than other favorites from last year. Their electro-pop is effervescent, highly infectious and danceable. The Brooklyn trio were opening for Jukebox the Ghost, a relocated-to-Brooklyn trio, on a recent string of dates (some are still coming up) and both performed in Connecticut for an all ages show on the second to last night in a cold, cold February. Jukebox the Ghost‘s own brand of piano-pop has made them a rising star as of late. Their 2014 self-titled release was initially out on Yep Roc Records but the band has since been signed to Cherrytree Records (home to Sting and Feist amongst others) and are planning to re-release the album in the near future. Together, in the Hat Capital of the World, the two bands, along with Secret Someones (minus their drummer) gave the youthful audience a memorable show.

While hanging out near the front, before Little Daylight came on, it was clear that most of the audience weren’t familiar with the band. I was asked directly what their name was more than once. But when Nikki Taylor, Matt Lewkowicz and Eric Zeiler took the stage (with their drummer) to perform songs like “Mona Lisa” and a cover of David Bowie’s “Let’ Dance”, the crowd was forgiven for their lack of knowledge. They danced and danced oblivious to fact that they would be remain sweaty for another couple hours with the headliner still to come.

A typical Jukebox the Ghost show has a dash of technical difficulties, a smattering of random divergence, a bunch of laughter and a whole lot of fun music. Connecticut is one of their top states to perform in, as they draw in a crowd of all ages, the average seemed to be 16 at the Heirloom Arts Theatre. During a five-plus minute pause during which guitarist Tommy Siegel worked to get his guitar functioning, pianist Ben Thornewill and drummer Jesse Kristin killed time making some jokes, wishing someone in the front a happy birthday and doing an off the cuff bit of Journey. The new material has a different pop direction compared to the hold material but songs like “Postcard” and “Hollywood” came off great. But the band earned the biggest applause with their earliest hits, including “Hold It In”, which had all the teens bouncing. The all ages concerts in Connecticut are great for bands to build loyal followings and those Jukebox the Ghost fans were definitely ecstatic to meet the bands, get autographs and take photos with them post-show.

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Manic Productions books some of the most exciting concerts in Connecticut and have recently added the former Palace Theatre in New Haven (now branded College Street Music Hall) as a venue. Upcoming Manic shows include Matt & Kim and Perfume Genius in March while Connecticut locals will grace College Street in May.

Secret Someones: