Bishop Allen put on close to the same set that they did Thursday evening at the Secretly Canadian showcase. But really, when it’s a quality show, nobody’s going to be complaining.

MP3: Bishop Allen – Corazon

As I said before, Bishop Allen are touring in advance of their as-yet-untitled second album, due out in June on Dead Oceans. While they did have to cut my personal favorite, “Rain,” there was still room for them to kick out an energetic version of “Middle Management.”

Stepping back a bit from my often-teased position as Bishop Allen’s most fervent supporter, I have to say that it’s a good thing they delivered as well as they did. Because they drew so much attention last year with their EP project, but only did a handful of live dates outside of NYC, this was no doubt the litmus test for what had become another “buzz band.” It’s an awkward situation for a band to be in, but one that still affords them a great opportunity: prove to a large audience that you’re worth your salt.

While I’m not sure who still measures worth in seasoning, Bishop Allen showed that they’re quality. Closing once again with “Butterfly Nets,” sung by Darby, it brought the house to a quiet sense of awe. At times they were Springsteen, sometimes they got a little David Bryne, and occasionally they touched on twee. They’re like a swiss army knife of modern independent music.

More pictures after the jump.