Oracle Online

The club was completely full, with a long row of people outside trying to get the last tickets and witness the oversold Oct 4 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah show.

The indie rock band sold over 45,000 copies of their homonymous self-made album exclusively by mail. There was a remarkable amount of hype in the media for them, especially after receiving praise from Rolling Stone as the ‘Hot New Band’ for 2005. They garnered even more press after David Bowie and David Byrne were spotted at some of the band’s shows last year. Expectations were high.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah chose the right bands for their fall tour in the United States Takka Takka, a Brooklyn trio playing alt-country and indie rock, was in charge of warming up the attendees. The slow beat of “We Feel Safer At Night” and the harmonic sound in “Living Out Of Trouble” created a straight atmosphere, really different from what was coming next.

Architecture in Helsinki, a hyperactive Australian pop collective, took the stage next. With a set comprised of a mix from the best of their two albums, Fingers Crossed and In Case We Die, the band started a carnival on the stage.

Their ability to rotate the use of everything they could on the stage was amazing, from lead vocals to the use of instruments, with incredible amounts of energy and happiness. The audience followed the rhythm, dancing and singing along with Cameron Bird, Kellie Sutherland and the rest of the band. After listening to their hits, “It’s 5,” “The Cemetery” and “Do The Whirlwind,” nobody could stand still. Everybody was sweating and jumping.

Finally, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah took the stage. They started the show with the unconditional support of fans, who got crazy when the first chords of “Gimmie Some Salt” began, continued with “Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away” and then followed with their second single, “In This Home On Ice.”

Even with his nasal warble of a singing voice and his regular hipster vibe being expelled, lead singer Alec Ounsworth was able to spread the intensity of their mumbled lyrics to the entranced audience which was watching every move of the band. In the middle of the crowd, it was impossible to stay still.

But the final surprise was about to occur. Suddenly, the members of Architecture in Helsinki stepped on stage and for two or three songs, there were about 10 people dancing, singing and playing different instruments in an ovation-garnering close of the show.