Divine Fits

Lustre Pearl, March 14

By Britt Daniel’s count, Thursday night’s set was the band’s fifth performance of the week, and it showed in the group’s slightly threadbare performance. While they weren’t exactly phoning it in, flagging energy levels were certainly in evidence. The set consisted primarily of tracks from the supergroup’s 2012 debut, A Thing Called Divine Fits, with singer-guitarist-frontmen Daniel and Dan Boeckner ping-ponging the lead role, the latter leading the charge with “Neopolitans” and “Baby Get Worse.” The set also suffered from soundboard problems, with the keys too high in the mix and other niggling annoyances. Daniel spooned up his distinct musical personality with “Like Ice Cream” and evoked the conditional progressive mood with “Would That Not Be Nice.” While “My Love Is Real” played with tempo and syncopation (possibly not on purpose), “Civilian Stripes” and “Flaggin’ a Ride” didn’t deviate much from the recorded versions. When the quartet aired out a new song, it revealed the true heart of Divine Fits: These four really enjoy playing together. Daniel and Boeckner in particular appear to have found a new creative energy in working together after countless years working on their flagship projects.

This article appears in March 22 • 2013.

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