Describing their particular breed of sound is difficult. I asked them to characterize it, and they asked me the same question. I eloquently came up with some jumbled description of “rock meets techno meets pop” nonsense, but Keith summed it up much better: he calls their sound a “Unique fusion of 80s and 90s music, but less synth-heavy than 80s tunes and less angry than 90s tunes.” Songs like “Trojans” have a rock vibe to it, but not a “hard rock” one per se – it is pointedly upbeat and catchy in its simplicity – the talent does all the talking.
We chat some more about life on the road, living in Los Angeles, and at length about animal rights (the brothers are very passionate about the rights of every living creature, saying that they hope that people become more aware of the issue. They have been vegan for about four years), and bid each other farewell for the day.
The next night, we reconvene at the Mod Club — a small, 19+ concert venue that also serves as a nightclub on the weekends. Atlas Genius takes the stage at 9:30, their music commanding the attention of the crowd. The audience dances along and mouths the words to tracks like “If So” and “Molecules.” The brothers and their touring band, two guitarists, are visibly enjoying themselves, calling their young techs to the stage and advertising them to the single girls in the crowd, and shining a spotlight on a fan to ask about her day (“This is definitely the highlight,” she giggles). A technical problem with the microphone (that caused a break in the set) saw Keith playing guitar acoustically, while Mike sat leaning on his drum set bearing a smile of content. When regular programming returned, the band didn’t miss a beat, churning out dance-y tracks like “Stockholm,” slower ballads like “Centred on You” and a very cool rendition of “You Spin Me Right Round” before closing the show with “Levitate,” sending the crowd into a frenzy with “Trojans,” and ending with “Electric.”
Post-show, the band warmly greeted every fan, chatting and taking pictures before leaving to return to Buffalo to pick up merch before heading to Detroit. And, with that, the world-travelling Australians were off, hugging me goodbye and leaving a pleased crowd full of smiles, humming as they passed through the doors, leaving Mike, Keith and their entourage to share their magic elsewhere.