Cider Mag Winter 2015 Issue 52 | Page 53

by her bashful interaction with a crowd that wanted to enjoy her music but could not get over the disappointing acoustics of the lauded Higher Ground, a venue that is supposed to be one of the Northeast’s best live music destinations. Whatever technicality lacked for Hinterland was more than made up for when tUnE-yArDs took the stage. Bassist Nate Brenner, Garbus’ writing partner and the only male in the group, reverberated long and thunderous tones — often the only grounding force in an otherwise chaotic undulation — while Garbus at center stage pierced the audience’s roar with her Nina-Simone-esque voice. She wore a skintight, pink, polkadot dress, barely rivaling the other three women in color and vibrancy. Altogether they made for a strange looking band: Garbus with her sampling pad, a snare, a tom-tom, and the baritone ukulele that didn’t make an appearance until a few songs in. Percussionist Dani Markham stood stage left in black and white leopard print tights and a blue floral button up, jangling what looked like plantains from her neck and beating a seemingly random assortment of drums and symbols. Two backup singers flanked Garbus at the rear of the stage, motown style, periodically making