After a long drought, my thirst for a familiar indie rock live show was quenched at Salon IKSV with a much anticipated performance from Stillwater, Oklahoma’s Other Lives. The band, although generally featuring five performers, for a number of factors arrived to Istanbul as a three-piece. Thankfully, being the multi-instrumental talented rock stars they are, this only managed to impress on the night as their sweeping, atmospheric indie rock graced the halls for what was a memorable performance on a chilly, March evening. Performing a set featuring every catalogue classic a fan could want, to what felt like a full venue, it’s also hopefully a signal to the world that we need more of these types of performers visiting our city.
A brief snapshot of the band will have us go back to the early 2000s when they were in fact an instrumental ensemble, Kunek. Much like their current line-up, the outfit consisted of multidisciplinary musicians, all with an arsenal of various instruments at their disposal. A few tweaks here and there, and an impressive sole album now likely lost to time, brings us to 2009 when Other Lives was born. Following a self-titled release the same year, it wasn’t until 2012 when they truly began to step into the spotlight on the back of their sophomore effort Tamer Animals. A snowball effect of success saw them take on a new status with opening for Radiohead, touring with Bon Iver, headlining their own shows, featuring on Grey’s Anatomy, being remixed by Thom Yorke, and beyond. 2015’s Rituals and 2020’s For Their Love have since enjoyed great acclaim and the kind of attention albums deserve after the band has actually made it big.
Defining their sound, after four full-lengths of observation, is a challenge… when folk-influenced, evocative tunes step into grand, lush ballads perfect for a live show. Above all, they remain distinct and their tracks ideal for bouncing around a big open space, all of which translates well to bring us back to present day Istanbul for their performance here. Featuring Jesse Tabish (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Kim Tabish (violin, vocals, guitar, percussion), and Jonathan Mooney (trumpet, piano, percussion) on the night, there was no sense that they were missing any members. Deftly switching between instruments throughout the performance, it was an impressive feat of showmanship from each individual member.
I have always been partial to bands that come on stage, perform, kick ass, and disappear again with little or nothing to say to the audience other than a brief thank you. I am likely in the minority on this, and it might simply be that I enjoy the mysterious allure it creates around the bands behind the albums I’ve obsessed over, but the small talk and banter usually feels off for me. That said, after a few years of global crisis after global crisis, I think I might find myself warming up to being comforted by a band whose music I’ve indulged in during existential moments. Such is the case with Jesse and his earnest, warm chats with the audience on the evening between songs. Humble and grateful, complimentary to a city they were visiting for the first time, and reflective… it just felt genuine and on brand with the band’s overall (for lack of a better word) essence. He took some time to address the Ukraine crisis, pay respects, and remind us all to breathe in the moment of respite we were enjoying in the halls of Salon IKSV.
The set essentially covered every song I had hoped to hear. I stand by 2011’s Tamer Animals being their best project (albeit perhaps not most accessible) and they managed to give it plenty of love while visiting their more contemporary hits on For Their Love and Rituals. When listening to them with headphones, I often find myself associating their music with space, as in landscapes and big open areas. It just all translates to a live show quite well, with the music rushing over an eager audience swaying to and fro in unison. It’s hard to say what the crowd favorite was, with their bigger songs being sprinkled fairly throughout the performance, and most of their popular tracks being greeted with equal enthusiasm. I can say the only real disappointment of the evening was the fact that it concluded. The overall performance was carefully crafted and avoiding being overly lengthy, although I believe many of us would have stayed late into the night to hear some deeper cuts.
After the show’s conclusion, the band was quick to join the audience outside. I had intended on making a swift getaway and they were already near the entrance greeting fans, taking photos, chatting with people. It all just felt very organic and in a genre that can often suffer from pretentiousness, completely void of any such thing. Instead it was just wholesome and real. I can only assume that their performance the following night (taking place on a Friday) would follow the same path, but perhaps with people sticking around to start the weekend in style with their new friends in Other Lives.
Images courtesy of Salon IKSV.
