Review by Dave Anastasi

When a friend of mine tipped me off to an indie five-piece band from Omaha with a tap dancer instead of a drummer, I was— needless to say— skeptical. It had "gimmick" written all over it. But, after sampling a few of their songs online, I realized I couldn't miss their show at the Middle East.

The line to get in the club stretched around the corner and halfway down the block thirty minutes after the doors were opened. Gazing over the masses brought a few emotions to mind. First, I felt surprised that this five-piece from Omaha had developed such an impressive following. Then, I felt old. I'd say the average age of the crowd was around 19, a suspicion that was confirmed once we got inside the club and noticed all of the hands with X's sharpied on them (identifying the concertgoer as underage).

The excitement in the room grew as the roadies placed Jamie Williams' dance platform and tap shoes on the stage, and the place exploded when Tilly And The Wall finally appeared.

And then they played. I'm no expert, but Jamie's a fantastic dancer. She adds so much to this music, both in her steps and her effervescence. I was also particularly impressed with lead vocalist Kianna Alarid. She displayed great versatility in her voice throughout the course of the set, from the quiet introspectiveness of Lost Girls to the raucousness of crowd pleaser Bad Education.

This band has got a great thing going. Their music is exuberant and infectious, and to my ears, works better in the live setting than in the studio. Their two albums are actually quite good, but can't come close impacting the listener in the way that experiencing the material live can. You can't see their beaming smiles as they perform. You can't feel the vibrations from Jamie's every step. You can't feed off of their boundless energy. Yes, Tilly And The Wall must be seen live.