The Antlers: 22.Feb.2010 – Washington D.C.

For a band whose prime narrative is about one’s relationship with a terminally ill child, The Antlers are capable of a surprising amount of on stage energy. When I first saw them at DC9 I was impressed at how well the sad, haunting melodies worked live, but to be fair DC9 is tiny. 9:30 Club, on the other hand, represented a bigger challenge, one front man Peter Silberman and band met but didn’t exactly tear up. For big Antlers fans like myself, the set was great fun, with Silberman’s strong-but-aching vocals, Darby Cicci’s haunting keyboard, and Michael Lerner’s excellent percussion work. But I don’t think they made many converts of The Editors fans in attendance.