This is one Real Estate bubble that hasn’t popped

Indie-rock band Real Estate played La Sala Rossa on Jan. 18 and rocked it! Fans there were thrilled to catch one of the rare Canadian dates of this Brooklyn-based, New Jersey-native band.

Through the wave of plaid shirts and black thick-rimmed glasses, anyone but a hipster might feel out of their element, but the ambiance at La Sala has the ability to make anyone feel comfortable; the indie rockers in attendance were like a big family who were looking for more members.

The atmosphere was calm, like nothing mattered but the music. People were singing along, clapping and cheering after each song. The small size of the venue, having only a 230-person maximum capacity, allowed for more intimate interaction between the fans and the band members, and fans took advantage, asking the band to play their favourite songs.
With two albums on the market, the band successfully managed to fill up an hour of performance, but the crowd kept asking for more.

The boys played some crowd favourites from their self-titled first album, but focused mostly on songs from their latest release Days (2011). They also played some B-sides that the crowd really enjoyed.

Should fans expect a new album in 2013?

“We want to tour off this album for a while, maybe for over a year,” said multi-talented keyboardist and back-up guitarist Jonah Maurer. “We love touring this material, it’s always a lot of fun, but we still love trying out new songs to see how the crowd reacts to them.”

But fans shouldn’t be too disappointed, though; the band hasn’t crossed out the possibility of releasing an EP in the meantime.
Their debut album received harsh criticism back in 2009, but things have gotten better for the Brooklynites. Their sophomore album received an 8.7 rating and made “best new music” by Pitchfork in October 2011, and Marc Masters from the site said the new album was definitely a step forward.

The guys are gathering more and more fans as they tour around North America. On Wednesday, one loyal fan was ecstatic when he had the chance to meet guitarist Matthew Mondanile and shake his hand; the fan fell to his seat in shock with his head in his hands as Mondanile walked backstage. Others danced the night away in their own little world, as if the crowd surrounding them was merely an illusion.

After stopping in Canada for a set of four shows, including the one in Montreal on Jan. 18, Real Estate is back to touring in the US and the UK. With their Feb. 20 show at Sebright Arms in London, England already sold out, the band has a lot to be excited about. But the biggest news for this year has got to be that they are set to play two shows at Coachella, one of the largest music and arts festivals in North America, in California alongside big names Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, La Roux, Calvin Harris, Beirut, Justice, Florence and the Machine, and many more.

Indie music is a state of mind, and Real Estate definitely knows how to share that with their audience.