Mister Heavenly vs. Sia

I just found out Mister Heavenly, the new indie supergroup comprised of Islands'/the Unicorns' Nick Thorburn, Man Man frontman Ryan Kattner and Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer, will be playing at the Biltmore Cabaret, a bar just a twelve-minute walk from my place, in August.

I'm thoroughly surprised by Mister Heavenly: I'm not a huge Modest Mouse fan, I despise everything Nick Thorburn does, and while I really like Man Man, I rarely have an impulse to listen to them. I don't usually like jangly, spastic yet melodic and playful indie rock either, but I actually really like the two songs Mister Heavenly has released so far, "Pineapple Girl" and the self-titled "Mister Heavenly." For $13 (before fees), Mister Heavenly is bound to be a good show for the price alone.

Unfortunately, Mister Heavenly falls on the same night as Australian pop songstress Sia's show at my beloved Commodore Ballroom. However, Sia is $28 before fees and a twenty-five-minute bus ride away; round trip, that's going to cost another $5. I also dropped $53 for Battles and Les Savy Fav with Handsome Furs yesterday, so I'm not so eager to spend right now. And I want to go to the Kills in September. And who knows what else is going to crop up in the meantime?

In Sia's favour, however, a few of my friends want to see her, including one who never goes to concerts, whereas I'd more than likely be seeing Mister Heavenly by myself. I have no problems whatsoever going to shows by myself (most of the shows I go to I go to by myself, and going alone does have its advantages), but I haven't gone to a show with more than two other people since the White Stripes. Or was it Feist? Or was it Tokyo Police Club/the Black Keys/Stars? Whoever it was, it was a few years ago, so it'd be nice to go with a decent-sized group of friends again.

Both shows would be fun (Mister Heavenly with their high-energy and Sia with her quirky personality and fare share of equally fun, quirky songs), and both shows would be pretty intimate (Mister Heavenly with its smaller fanbase at a smaller venue with zero barrier between the audience and the performers and Sia with her generally low-key, late-night bedroom pop). My decision will basically come down to what kind of mood I'll be in that night, how much I will want to spend and how far I will want to travel. I'll play it by ear for as long as I can and hope neither sells out before I decide, although one show selling out would definitely help me decide ...