The show was a little slow to start, with the audience waiting eagerly for Real Estate to craft an evening where nothing mattered but the music. It was not the indie band that people know and love, however, that greeted attendees when the show began, but instead a fresh face.

Mary Lattimore, a harpist who spent time living in the band’s home state of New Jersey, took center stage. The songs challenged the traditional expectations of harp music — the instrument hooked up to a sound system that allowed her to loop her tracks and distort the audio. What followed is best described as neo-synthwave harp music. It was glitchy, unusual and beautiful.

Lattimore herself had a unique stage presence. Though she was not scripted and her words did not flow, it somehow worked. Presenting a song she wrote at a transitional time in her life, “For Scott Kelly, Returned to Earth,” which she relates to the historical event. This song conjured up a space atmosphere that few others could likely achieve.

Her final song was called “Otis Walks Into the Woods,” a performance she prefaced by mentioning it was written following the death of her dog Otis. She awkwardly informed the audience how he one day walked into the woods and was never seen again.

When Real Estate came on, the venue was lightly filled, and the majority of the audience was able to get right up to the band. The crew of five performed with great energy, putting on a show that left the crowd satisfied, but wanting more. Songs like “Stained Glass” created a semi-melancholy vibe, as the band managed to still keep things upbeat.

The crowd went from happily enjoying the show to ecstatic, as fans’ favorite songs came on. There was extreme excitement and chatter spreading from person to person for songs like “It’s Real” and “Had to Hear,” reaching maximum enthusiasm when “Talking Backwards” was played.

The most impressive part of the show was how close they sounded to the studio recordings. Some bands struggle with the transition from recorded music to live performances, with the latter lacking at times. Real Estate sounded not only on par with their recorded material but better, delivering the songs that the audience knew and loved at a higher energy that rocked everyone’s night.

To keep things interesting, the band left the stage about halfway through the performance and bassist Alex Bleeker remarked on how great of an audience it was and how much the band had enjoyed the show. Not one person in attendance moved, as everyone continued to stare at the empty stage. Within a few minutes, the band was back, drinks in hand, ready to kick off the second half of the night.

The show was amazing, made even more incredible by the intimacy of The Republic’s atmosphere. The band stuck around after their performance to meet and talk with fans, as well as sign posters and albums.

Real Estate is an incredible band on the rise, made up of easy-going genuine people that care about their listeners.