I didn’t realize it until I landed in Austin, but our Hot Freaks! event was the first time I’d seen Bishop Allen since they last played our SXSW event two years ago. Back then they were riding on the success of their EP-a-month project which yielded 12 releases in 2006; this year they were supporting their recently released album Grr…

MP3: Bishop Allen – The Ancient Commonsense of Things

And really, not much besides the number of songs in their back catalogue has changed for Bishop Allen. They’ve had some big successes since then, including appearing in and having a song heavily featured in the Michael Cera flick Nick And Nora’s Infinite Playlist. But Bishop Allen are still putting as much energy into their songwriting and shows, it’s just the number of people listening that have changed. And more ears just makes for a better show at SXSW.

This year Bishop Allen moved to the outside of the Mohawk to play a set immediately following the Wrens. Even though it was a fairly early slot, having such a giant perform before them guaranteed them a good crowd. And to their credit, Bishop Allen used the opportunity to showcase what’s always made me love them: their best pop songs and their obvious enthusiasm for what they do. I mean, this is the band with one guy who works in film and the other guy who founded and sold Spark Notes. Not that they’re probably able to retire tomorrow, but they don’t exactly have to be loading up the van and touring around the world. They do it because they love what they do.

Surprisingly, Bishop Allen’s setlist included a lot of old songs that I figured I’d never hear again. In fact, I’m not sure that I’ve heard either “Penitentiary Bound” or “Another Wasted Night” since I first saw them in 2004, but they brought both out with renewed vigor at the Mohawk. As they finished up the Grr… track “Shanghaied,” the last on their setlist, Justin and Christian whispered to the rest of the band some quick instructions. With pretty much no pause to speak of, they immediately lept into a closing performance of “Middle Management,” the band’s most famous song due to its inclusion in the national campaign for Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist. It was great to end the set on a rocking note; Justin must have agreed, because he went out with a jump to punctuate the band’s time on stage.

Full setlist after the jump

Bishop Allen set list at Hot Freaks! 2009
Rooftop Brawl
Ancient Commonsense of Things
Same Fire
Another Wasted Night
Oklahoma
Penitentiary Bound
Shanghaied
Middle Management