w/ Alba Varden, Delamare, The Oceanics
Two nights in a row at The Troubadour. I see no problem with this. And this gig had been in my calender for quite some time. Due to my organisational slackness though, I had double booked, which caused me to miss The Oceanics, which made me sad inside. I was told though that there are one to watch.
Delamare are not your typical Troubadour band, creating more of an Rock-Indie sound than any other classification. The five brought to the stage a diverse array of songs that moved from serious rock tunes to the bridging line in between. While not my usual piece of cake, I found myself with a silly grin on my face for much of their set. Which in my book means that the bad has got something special. There we go, they have my seal of approval.
With a quick turnover, next came Alba Varden. I can't explain it, but they didn't do anything for me. I hate to admit it, but I really didn't enjoy their set. What i did find interesting though was their instrumentation. They combined the typical guitar, bass, and skins with a frontman-vocalist with a shaker, and a "bits" percussion player. A lot of percussion for one band I thought, but each to their own. During this set as people kept rolling in for the main attraction, I noticed how many guys nowadays wear beanies on a night out! It was almost a little ridiculous how many guys there were! I know it's winter and all, but still...
Dan James is someone you just can't miss in a crowd. His bleached blond hair is an entity unto itself! And just as this exuberant hair stands out in a crowd, so too does this same frontman light up a stage. Hearing a bands recording just never has the same as experiencing them live and Drawn From Bees are no exception. Each member brings an essence to the music, which in turn lets the music take on a life of it's own. Dan, Stew and Matt's vocal harmonies blend together to form a lush sound that i have to say reminds me of one of my favorite American Indie bands Immaculate Machine. For me "Long Tooth Setting Sun" was definitely the highlight. Calling upon some friends including Kane from Hungry Kids of Hungary they produced exquisite five part harmonies which i thought might have been something that could not be reproduced on stage, but alas I was so very wrong! And I am glad I was.
So, tonight, although the support acts didn't really do it much for me, (regardless of Delamare still getting the smile of approval), Drawn From Bees made up for it ten fold. They were sensational! That is all.
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