Los Campesinos! @ The Paradise

“If you know anything about Los Campesinos! you come here with hate in your heart” proclaimed front man Gareth after tearing through “By Your Hand,” “Romance Is Boring,” and “Death To Los Campesinos!.” “This is not a place for couples. If you’re here, you'll die alone with a lot of cable channels" he advised, not a person fazed by the declaration. We all knew what we were in for, anger and sorrow raging over energy packed chords and beats. Clinging to every lyric, pulsing towards the stage, the house was elated at the glum narrative of Los Campesinos!

Before the group had taken the stage, opener Parenthetical Girls gave us a reason to jive. Androgynous front man, Zac Pennington, slipped into the crowd, meandering about the audience. He came to our level, engaged us eye to eye, and made us move. We dug it. With our full attention Parenthetical Girls gave us something concrete to remember, Pennington dropping his mic carelessly, flinging his drum stick, flopping to the floor through ‘The Pornographer” and “Young Throats.” Pennington continuously slams his free flowing cymbal to the stage and elicits a few giggles with entertaining banter. Pulling of a cover of the Smiths’ “Handsome Devil”, befitting the groups aesthetic, Pennington moved to the upper level of The Dise finishing off the set while seductively resting atop the balcony.

Even with some technical difficulties, the crowd was intoxicated with LC! and could not be disappointed. Launching into “Straight in at 101” with their xylophone piercing through the chaos and dawning a fans Budweiser sweater, Gareth puts his emotional past up for the taking. Continuing into “You! Me! Dancing!” assisted by some rambunctious crowd members slammed on the near by cymbal and tambourine - howling the sorrow filled lyrics and crowd surfing onto the stage.

Los Campesinos! are exactly what you’d hope they’d be, vulnerable and sentimental. Delivering you the truth about their experiences, putting a pop spin on their fast and angry themes. Steadily gaining momentum through their four records, this kick-ass kick-off of their US tour was charged, a feeling that grew steadily between the band and the crowd. “Boston, this place is always good to us” the band agrees. Los Campesinos!, you’re relentless misery has always been good to us too.