I don’t know if anyone in the real world takes the concept of chillwave seriously. It seems like one of those snake-eating-its-own-head kind of thing where Hipsterrunoff makes a joke and Pitchfork legitimizes it, or vice versa, if it’s one a stupid buzz terms that a bunch of artists were saddled with, only to be followed by a bunch of artists who believed in it (see also: freak folk), or if it’s an actual movement that just sounds like a joke, but I’ve heard actual people use the term without any sense of irony or disbelief so maybe it’s become a real thing.  Belle & Sebastian Night really did seem to bring that point home.

Going in, I associated Belle & Sebastian with the same roommate I associate The Magnetic Fields with, to the point where until recently, I couldn’t tell which was which. I couldn’t tell if this event was going to bring in the type of rowdy, Type A personalities I need to make a success out of goofball public photobooths, or if it was going to be a moody mix of twee and dapper indie rockers. I can’t say I was wrong, but maybe I had made a misjudgment. There was a lot of twee and a lot of dapper in the room, but there wasn’t a lot of moody. Everyone was really into it, and the crowd was dancing harder than the last dozen shows I’ve seen at the Empty Bottle.

It was a pretty great night. Lynxwall played that one song I recognized. Heaven Malone pulled out a guitar and played a good one that I didn’t. Mikul Wing silkscreened a bunch of shirts and hoodies and posters for people. And I learned that chill and fun were not mutually exclusive. Who’da thunk?

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