Concert review: Sylvan Esso at Rabbit Rabbit

A double bill of Bright Eyes and Lucy Dacus couldn’t sell out Rabbit Rabbit, but Sylvan Esso did — and did it quickly.

Long lines ran down Coxe Avenue on Sept. 22 as fans turned out on a nippy, newly autumn evening to show their proof of vaccination and take in the Durham-based electro-pop duo of vocalist Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, rewarding their on-stage activity with frequent appreciation.

With the shaggy-haired Sanborn manning the boards like a mad scientist, the platinum blonde Meath slinked around in a futuristic swimsuit get-up composed of a neon green bikini with a fabric cage overlay that might make Lady Gaga rethink her next wardrobe choice.

Backed by a simple array of square lights that emitted pleasing color, occasionally tinkling in sync with one of Sanborn’s programmed beats, the partners filled the downtown Asheville venue with their sparse yet alluring sounds, mixing “Ferris Wheel,” “Train,” “Rooftop Dancing” and other tracks from their celebrated 2020 album, Free Love, with scream-inducing favorites from across their decade-long catalog.

Microphone technical difficulties and spritzing rain didn’t deter the duo as they worked in the upbeat “Radio,” “Die Young,” and “PARAD(w/m)E” with a few subdued numbers, all of which inspired some variation on Meath’s particular brand of rhythmic gymnastics.

Though direct addresses were minimal, Sanborn voiced his elation to be back in North Carolina after a monthlong tour while Meath sought her own form of interaction later in the set, using a mirror to reflect the spotlight back into swaths of the crowd.

As the 10 p.m. noise ordinance curfew neared, Meath furthered “Coffee” and its “Get up, get down” chorus as a banger, then fully let loose on the major grooves of “Numb,” after which she thanked the crowd for their support and proclaimed that performing for people was the joy of her life, then launched into the song that launched the group, “Play It Right.”

Returning for an inevitable encore that included “HSKT” and “Rewind,” Sylvan Esso kept the crowd moving for a few more memorable minutes, fully earning their largest local performance space thus far — and sparking inquiries of where they might play whenever they return.

(Photo by Shervin Lainez)