New Jersey outfit embarks on tour in support of their fourth studio album, In Mind.

A night at London’s Roundhouse is always a special evening. Last Tuesday night was a chance for Real Estate to make it even more extraordinary. With the release of their most recent full-length, In Mind, a few months ago, the New Jersey band had some new things to share with London.

Starting the night’s proceedings with Stained Glass and Serve The Song, they confidently made us all melt into a harmonious state of streaming guitars and Martin Courtney‘s fluid vocals. Their job was already accomplished in the first two songs, the fans were lapping it up, happy to ride that wave further.

We took a step back to 2011 with Younger Than Yesterday and a burst of happiness from the crowd, who were showing their appreciation in the form of swaying and singing their loudest. Setting the good vibes that filled the place to the brim made everyone’s Tuesday night even more enchanting.

“We’ve been coming to London a long time”, mentioned bassist Alex Bleeker. “And this is the most people we’ve ever played in front of.”

Falling into It’s Real was placed effortlessly into the set, with its vigorous guitar picking and howling vocals that had everyone’s attention. This generous performance had morphed into an engaging moment on and off stage. Whether you were a long haul or fresh faced fan you couldn’t deny the pure bliss that they created.

“First time here we played in Kings Cross. The Kings Head?” Bleeker asked. “No you were way off” confirmed vocalist. “We played The Lexington. That was great and this is great too”, they reassured.

Real Estate have maintained a strong thread through their music and their set was a testament to that. Nine years in, fresh tracks Saturday and Darling received a great reception. Development of their sound remained true to the band’s strong aesthetic. You could see and hear the energy within the new tracks. The guys, always looking to the crowd’s reaction, reassuringly were vivacious during new as well as the much loved tracks.

We ended on Talking Backwards, which made perfect sense to us. It amplified the audience’s mood even more, if that was possible. As they left the stage, we all knew it wouldn’t be for long. They had to finish what they started. With a couple of songs they needed to honour us with the pleasure of performing. But before they did that, things got a little nostalgic as we went back to the days of 2009.

“We’ve decided to play a song that we no longer play. It’s from our first record. This song is for Jack Shankly. You know the man, the man I’m talking about.”

This song they spoke of was Green River, off their first self titled album. And then it was time to please the masses, myself included with Green Aisles and All The Same. My personal favourite album, Days is filled with amazing tracks but these two shine and capture. They took the final track to a whole other level. With an extended ending they nearly blew the roof off, which was quite a moment to witness. Modestly showing off their cohesiveness on stage warranted the loud cheers they received.

The melancholic yet effervescent moment filled Camden’s Roundhouse, and it was quite a sight to see. Standing at the back in the haze of the smoke machine and the flickering lights, it brought a whole new standard to how I’ll spend my future Tuesday nights.

Photos: Liz Stephens