Savoir Adore took the stage Friday night at South Street Seaport, just as the sun was setting over Lower Manhattan’s Financial District. How fitting the cool and bright landscape was for the Brooklyn-based quartet, as they warmed up the crowd, alternating between dreamy pop (think Arcade Fire’s Funeral minus the gloom) and bouncy, programmed-beat driven rockers (think MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular). The result, led by the lovely and charismatic Deidre Muro, was a warm, harmonic blend of male/female vocals and rhythms that kept the crowd moving until the sun was down.
By the time The Wedding Present took the stage, the crowd had grown, not only in number, but in age as well. The turnout was very  respectable for these powerpop stalwarts, and they immediately grabbed the attention of passers by, whether on dates or pushing strollers. The performance started off with the classic “Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft,†which began seemingly low-energy. By the time the band moved into their second song, “Deer Caught In The Headlights,†they were well in control. While the setlist seemed to heavily favor their 1989 record, Bizarro, the night was consistent with the band’s three-chord power attack, letting up almost only to refuse requests and hug offers from the audience.
It was a loud night as the band roared through some 14 songs at the beautiful waterfront locale. The Seaport proved to be a wonderful venue, and free. This season has now drawn to a close, but if you’re looking for somewhere to go next summer, chances are you won’t be disappointed.
