Hellogoodbye at the Highline Ballroom, NYC

We caught California alt-pop act Hellogoodbye in their New York appearance at the Highline Ballroom last night. They headlined a bill that also included warm-up acts Now Now Every Children, You Me & Everyone We Know, and Gold Motel. All three opening sets were lively and upbeat, with a promising showing from Gold Motel in particular.

Hellogoodbye first came to mass attention with their 2007 single “Here (In Your Arms)” off their debut album, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!. The track had a decidely radio-ready dance feel complete with auto-tune effects, while their current setlist, laregely featuring their recent release, Would It Kill You?, sits more comfortably in the acoustic-heavy alt-pop veign of Vampire Weekend or Islands. This is not a bad thing. Their new material is fun and accessible, which matches the band’s onstage persona. It’s hard not to like these guys.

They did oblige the mostly young crowd with “Here (In Your Arms)” as their final encore, and it fit surprisingly well alongside their new material.

We expect to see more of Hellogoodbye. Check out their tour dates at www.hellogoodbye.net/shows