Silversun Pickups have a sound that is instantly recognizable. They’ve been around for 25 years — and in that time, they have released six full length albums. When they most recently played the 9:30 Club, they created a career-spanning setlist that included hits and fans favorites plus a few deep cuts.
The show began with a wild opener, Girl Tones, on August 26. The Kentucky-based band consists of sisters Kenzie and Laila on guitar/vocals and drums, respectively. And holy crow did they put on a show! It was their final night touring with Silversun Pickups and they left everything on the stage. That is, until Kenzie left the stage and ran into the crowd during the penultimate song. The set was raucous, loud, obnoxious, and amazing. They absolutely won me and the rest of the audience over.
After a short break, the lights dimmed and the house music quieted. Silversun Pickups emerged on stage with an extended intro to their opening song, “Well Thought Out Twinkles” from their 2006 full length debut, Carnavas. The audience erupted while singer and guitarist Brian Aubert’s opening salvo of barre chords and feedback just added to the noise. Drummer Christopher Guanlao’s distinctive extended beat (along with his unique raised cymbal) made it official; the show had begun.
Bass player Nikki Monninger is one of the most underrated musicians currently playing. Her playing is distinctive and a foundation of the Silversun Pickup sound. Joe Lester rounds out the quartet on keyboards. While the band doesn’t stand out as keyboard-driven, Joe also handles the samples and sound manipulation. Below his keys is a plethora of pedals. His feet are almost as busy as his hands.
After a couple of songs, the band played a bit of a tribute to recently deceased Ozzy Osbourne. The opened their track “Panic Switch” with an intro of “Crazy Train” from Ozzy’s Blizzard Of Oz album. It was a surprise that just increased the energy in the club.
In between songs, Brian told some great stories. He placed great importance on the DC music scene and described how honored he felt that he and the band are able to play in venues like the 9:30 Club. He made sure to let everyone know how happy they all were that DC had welcomed them from the very beginning.
The set featured a lot of music from their first two albums, but they reached back just a little further, at one point. Before playing “Kissing Families” from their pre Carnavas EP, Pikul, Brian asked how many in the crowd were there in the beginning? How many wanted to see the girl singing in the band. That self-deprecating humor has endeared the band to its legions of fans.
When it came time for the song “Don’t Know Yet” from their 2019 album, Widow’s Weeds, Brian instructed the crowd to snap their fingers along with Nikki. We dutifully obliged and felt like part of the show.
Going back to their sophomore release, they played a great version of “Substitution,” after which they thanked Girl Tones and called them the most bad-ass sisters from Kentucky. Brian swore that Kenzie and Laila kicked their asses every night. The sisters were hanging out, watching the show from the balcony. So on the next song, “Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance),” he sang directly to them. The main set wrapped up with a crowd favorite, “Dots And Dashes (Enough Already).”
I’ve seen a lot of shows recently that have eschewed an encore set. Not tonight!
Maybe it’s because so many recent shows have not had encores, but it seemed to take a while for Silversun Pickups to come back out for their encore set. But once they did, it was worth the wait. It began with the song “Empty Nest.” That was great — but the next song was truly worth the price of admission. The band pulled out another song from the Pikul EP. But what was truly special was the guest. They played “Creation Lake,” a song by the band The Movies. Joining them on stage was Timothy James, the lead singer for The Movies! According to Brian, it was the first time they had played together in 23 years.
But the magic wasn’t quite over. Timothy exited the stage and the band played the one song they HAVE to play at every show, “Lazy Eye.” Midway through the song, Girl Tones joined them on stage for an extended jam of the song. It was like the ending of a John Hughes film. That’s the way a concert should end. I love Silversun Pickups for their music. But I also love their unending support of great independent artists. If you haven’t seen Silversun Pickups live, you probably should.
Setlist
- Well Thought Out Twinkles
- It Doesn’t Matter Why
- Panic Switch (w/Crazy Train Intro)
- Scared Together
- Little Lover’s So Polite
- Alone On A Hill
- Kissing Families
- Don’t Know Yet
- Three Seed
- Substitution
- Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)
- Dots And Dashes (Enough Already)
Encore
- Empty Nest
- Creation Lake (The Movies; Timothy James on vocals)
- Lazy Eye (joined by Girl Tones)
Here are some more photos of Silversun Pickups performing live at 9:30 Club on August 26, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Marc Shea.
