There could have been no one more fitting to celebrate Sub Pop’s twentieth birthday Saturday night at Showbox than Tad Doyle, Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan.  All three have been involved with the label in different incarnations since its birth; Doyle’s TAD and Dulli’s Afghan Whigs were among the first bands to be signed by Sub Pop.  While it was a somber celebration (Gutter Twins’ music is far from cheerful) it was a night of adoring fans and good old Seattle grunge.

Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, Doyle’s latest band, opened the night around eleven.  They relied mainly on their base-and-drum-heavy instrumentals, with sparse vocals by Doyle.  Each thirteen-minute song encompassed about four tempos hinging on guitar or drum solos.  The crowd nodded along, but everyone seemed antsy for Gutter Twins to begin.

Finally the fateful moment came.  Gutter Twins walked out onto a black stage.  Then, as red lights gradually lit the room, they dove straight into the gorgeously haunting set of songs released this year as Saturnalia.

The Gutter Twins have a solid backing band that is very versatile; throughout the show they swung between heavy blues melodies (“Who Will Lead Us Now”), lighter fast-paced songs, (“Each to Each”) and tarantella-like swinging melodies (“Spanish Doors”).  They played so smoothly, they were nearly invisible, which is exactly how they should be when Lanegan and Dulli are fronting the show.

The two have an intuitive give and take that proves they are both seasoned front men and longtime friends.  Dulli’s smooth tenor is the perfect compliment to Lanegan’s nicotine-scratched base and Dulli’s witty crowd interaction is perfectly offset by Lanegan’s quiet stoicism.  That both have lived through addiction, recovery and too many drug-related deaths is evident in their guilt-saturated lyrics.  “Front Street” is a perfect example: “We’ve got deadlines to meet:  people to use, lovers to break, head full of pills, no life to take, river too cold, oven too hot, bridge of 150 foot drop.”  However, a few fast-paced songs, lyrics about heaven, and constant plea’s to hold on (plus the fact that the two are still here and still playing) save their music from being depressing.  For the entire set a packed house sang along and cheered.  It was evident that everyone there had been longtime fans of the two.

At the end, the two walked out on stage for an encore.  Dulli poured himself a glass of champagne and toasted Sub Pop and northwest music.  He took a sip, then put the glass down.  An elegant tribute, but the drink remained unfinished, and the night ended with more serious, meditative music, fitting for a place where so many musicians have come and gone.

For more on the Gutter Twins, check out their MySpace.