The Long Winters / Photo by KELLEY BINGHAM

"There will be no witty banter tonight," Long Winters frontman/renowned purveyor of witty banter, John Roderick, announced at the band's eagerly awaited Seattle homecoming show last night (July 5) at the Showbox.

Opening for the Winters were local indie-popsters BOAT, followed by the Cops, whose full-throttle punk, peppered with stoner guitar riffs and crackling feedback, energized the already buzzing crowd.

As if paying penance for their year-long absence, the band dutifully fulfilled audience directives for favorites like "Stupid," "Cinnamon," and "Pushover."

An elegant performance of "The Commander Thinks Aloud" highlighted a set that sparkled thanks to Nabil Ayers’ superbly understated drumming and Roderick’s beautifully strident melodies set against bassist Eric Corson’s lilting vocal harmonies.

Shamelessly reneging on his "no witty banter" promise, Roderick shared whacky anecdotes between songs, often heading off on strange, albeit amusing, tangents. After leading a night of singalongs, blithely moonwalking across the stage, and borrowing elastics from audience members to tie his hair in pigtails, it was sad to see the nutty Roderick and the rest of the talented Winters go. Seattle can only hope it won’t take another year for them to return.

We Asked: John Roderick says the Long Winters are going into the studio next week to record their new album. What other band is long overdue for a new LP?

Read the fans' answers >>
More photos from this show >>