Feelings: UDD's Capacities album launch

I've been counting the days since the pre-order for Capacities on October 20th. I know this because I've written it down on my old school planner. I've been a fan of Up Dharma Down since I first saw their video for Pag-Agos. I never got to see them live until 2010 for a Sleepwalk Circus album launch, and my first UDD album was Bipolar. I kept it on repeat for weeks. I absolutely loved Sugarcoats and Heartbeats and Taya. Kept those on repeat for a long long while. UDD has always sounded amazing on record, and even better live. Their launch was proof of it. Armed with an evolved sound (yet distinctly still their own) and new toys, they rocked One Esplanade, and filled it way beyond capacity that they had to turn people down at the gate because the building was already full. My friend was one of them. There's a pun there somewhere at "way beyond capacity".

Opening the show was Maude. You guys have to hear their stuff because they're really good. Saw them the first time at one Terno Inferno (the first and last one I've been to because I'm a hermit like that), and they were a lot of fun.

Crowd clapping their hands to the beat with Armi at Turn It Well

I kinda wish I snuck into the pit to take photos because the show was phenomenal, but I kept my work camera at home. I would've loved to photograph them. And the show. There was so much happy energy that's so infectious that night. Pardon the low quality photos. They give very little justice on how amazing they were that night. It was two hours of pure eargasm as they played all tracks off the new album as well as old ones. I fell in love with Feelings. Their collaboration with The Blue Nile's Paul Buchanan. It starts of reminiscent of The xx (which I will love to no end), until Armi comes in and...it's hard to explain. Because I'm swooning. There's a very 80's new wave thing going on in the album, which I love. I love seeing my favorite bands evolve. And a fan can't help but beam with such pride and joy hearing a room-full of people sing along to such great songs. It was great hearing Indak for the first time (for me, I've settled for youtube videos). And Pag-agos. It was the first song that made me pay attention to Up Dharma Down. And it's so good to hear it live. Current favorites off Capacities (other than Feelings and Indak) are Parks and Kulang. <3

Band giving their thank you's

What's fantastic about Up Dharma Down is that their songs are timeless. Sure, some of their songs have been out 4-5 years ago, but they still hit you the same. Listening to their CD on repeat after the launch just emphasizes how great they are live. Yes, you should get the album. Preferably in one of their shows. It's really really good. And seeing them live is so much better. I've always believed that a good measure of a band's talent is based on how they perform live. 

Here was the setlist from the launch:
Parks 
Luna
Layag
Unspoken Definites
Indak 
Thinker 
Kulang
Taya
We Give In Sometimes
Night drops
Feelings
Tadhana
Hiwaga 
Silid 
Turn It Well
Maybe 
Pagagos
Oo
Flicker
Sana

Up Dharma Down

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