Caught FLETCHER at StageAE playing a packed house with opener VÉRITÉ was one of those shows that is absolutely everything!
First up, VÉRITÉ . Her haunting and beautiful voice filled the packed house, backed by the cheers and sing-a-long of the crowd. Her new single Love You Forever (only a few days old) was just one of the tracks in the 30 minute set that could have gone longer, had the crowd had any say!
But as wonderful as VÉRITÉ was, it was still FLETCHER the crowd was there for and boy did she put on a show. A theatrical, complex set designed to look like NYC street scene, complete with rooftop space for performing, and dramatic lighting. I loved this, it’s so nice to see artists really take stage design to this next level.
The Girl of My Dreams Tour is about more than the backdrop and stage design (though again, kudos for giving a sh*t about it!) it’s about a fabulous singer with a catalog of honest, sure and sometimes biting pop songs that speak to the crowd so completely. The set list is long from Guess We Lied to a cover of If U Seek Amy, of course her arguably biggest crowd participation track Undrunk, and more. A brilliant show from first to last.
AWOLNATION brought their Falling Forward tour to Pittsburgh for an absolutely blinding Friday night set at StageAE with support from Bad Flower and The Mysterines
First up, The Mysterines, with an alt rock vibe led by dark voiced singer Lia Metcalfe played a captivating set. Supporting their May EP release, All These Things, the band were a wonderfully moody start of the night.
Bad Flower took over where The Mysterines left off. Onstage to the roar of the crowd, Bad Flower played loud and fast, raw and honest, cheeky and serious. Their set was dead on. Mostly tracks from This is how the World Ends, they sounded amazing and came with serious energy.
Finally after two great openers it was time for AWOLNATION. Having caught the band several times as it evolved over the years I can honestly say…wow. Just wow. Leading in with the latest single, You’re Freaking Me Out, the entire set was a perfect mix of moody and in-your-face. There’s a new maturity to the show that is palpable, and it fits so well. Front man Aaron Bruno, sophisticated in suit and Chucks, seemed to be channeling a slick, sleek modern version of himself and his band. With a clever set and lighting scheme, Bruno spent the show casting shadows against the walls and bringing a general drama to the night. Dance Baby Dance indeed. When the band finally played the crowd favorite, Sail, the crowd took over and drowned out even Bruno’s powerful delivery.
Barns Courtney was on fire last night at the Club @ StageAE!
First up, LA based Ultra Q opened the night. A band with one foot in the indie rock vibe and another in a post-punk vibe, they were high energy and sounded great. Lots of fun and if the singer’s voice has a little tone you can’t quite place you’re not losing it, there’s definitely a twinge of dad there, but Jakob and crew have their own unique sound and vibe. The set the tone perfectly for Barns Courtney.
What can I say about Barns Courtney but …. get this dude a bigger stage! The Club stage at StageAE is small and BC and band used every inch of it through the 15 song set list they burned through at warp speed. Manic and wild, whether out in the crowd or crawling over the drum riser, the band and Courtney sounded fantastic and a great time was had by all. Even if he did keep his pants on…
I have had this show marked on my calendar since it was announced, and the wait was well worth it. Origami Angel is back on the road, this time touring with Pool Kids and Insignificant Other. It was a jam-packed, high energy show. Origami Angel and Pool Kids have toured together before, playing with Mom Jeans and Save Face in October of last year. The addition of Gami’s label-mates Insignificant Other, rounds out an incredible tour lineup. Pittsburgh brought a TON of energy to this show, and all the bands responded.
Insignificant Other, also known as Insiggy Baby, started off the night. Insiggy Baby is a power pop-punk band from Birmingham, Alabama. This set was filled with fun synth tracks, great instrumentals and stunning vocals. Insignificant Other released their newest album “i’m so glad i feel this way about you” in April of 2019 on Counter Intuitive Records. This is a band you HAVE to see if you get the chance.
The second set of the night was the band known as Pool Kids. Pool Kids is an upcoming twinkly emo powerhouse, hailing from Florida. Pool Kids kicked off the set with the opening track from their new self titled album, “Conscious Uncoupling.” This album was released in July of this year, and has quickly made its way onto my album of the year list (if you haven’t listened to it yet, you are doing yourself a disservice.) Pool Kids also made sure to add some older songs from their debut release “Music to Practice Safe Sex To” from 2018. This set was filled with fast, twinkly riffs, incredible drum tracks, and beautiful vocal performances. They fittingly closed their set with “Pathetic” the final track on their album. This was a perfect ending to a perfect set. I will see this band EVERY time they come into the city.
In 2019, I saw Origami Angel for the first time at a basement show in Pittsburgh for the release of their debut LP “Somewhere City”. Since then, I have watched Gami Gang absolutely explode. Watching them open for The Wonder Years at Stage AE, just two years after the basement show, was an incredible moment. Now they are off on their first headlining tour in at the end of 2022. Origami Angel is a two-piece emo band from Washington DC. Since the release of somewhere city, Gami has been very active dropping multiple releases since then. The most recent of their releases were two very different three song EPs. “DEPART’ and “re: turn”. This set was filled with tracks from various different releases, and highlighted some of the biggest hits like “24-Hr Drive Thru” and “Noah Fence”. Vocalist Ryland Heagy, is also an extremely talented guitarist, making some of the craziest riffs look easy. Drummer Pat Doherty may just be one of the best drummers in the scene right now. Ryland spoke of his love for the city during their set, calling Pittsburgh their “home away from home.”
Gami Gang Forever.
Special thank you to Brett Schumaker of Don’t Let The Scene Go Down On Me! Collective for having us!
Photos and words by Tom Randall (www.instagram.com/trandallphoto)
Traveling from Pittsburgh, PA to Washington DC for a concert is something that’s totally normal to me now. For this trip, I was able to attend Declan Mckenna’s sold out show at The 9:30 Club for his Zeros Tour. Mckenna is a UK artist who announced a handful of tour dates in the US this past summer, and when I saw he was coming to the 9:30 Club, I knew I had to be there. I became a fan during my highschool days, and I remember singing along with my friends to his music.
Usually, photographers have the typical “First 3” photo policy. This show’s photo policy was for the encore only, which was a shock, but also a nice change of scene. I can understand for some photographers it may be inconvenient due to the late nights and needing to get home to begin editing. In my opinion, I think it makes the show more enjoyable at the start rather than stressing about the images right away. You can get a feel for the artist’s performance and know what kind of stage lighting to adjust for. Being in the photo pit towards the end of the show, gives you more time to prepare for your shots.
The screams at this show were some of the loudest I’ve ever heard. Mckenna’s fans were over the moon to finally see him perform, since covid and travel restrictions prevented him from touring in the US. Declan McKenna played hits from both albums Zeros and What Do You Think About the Car? At this show, I realized how much of his music and lyrics I actually knew. His performance was outstanding, and I would suggest seeing him live if you ever get the chance!
Write up and images by Madalyn Schaller (@madalyns.photos via instagram)
Rare Americans brought their “You’re Not A Bad Person, It’s Just A Bad World” tour to Spirit Hall in Pittsburgh, PA on Monday, October 10th, 2022 with support from DYLYN. For being a newer band at only two years old, Rare Americans certainly knew how to draw a crowd. With fans ranging from ages 10 to 60+, there was something enjoyable to be found by everyone that evening.
DYLYN, aka Gwendolyn Lewis, started off the show with both originals and a couple covers, including Skin and Bone, What a Ride, and a crowd favorite (read: loud singalong) cover of Teenage Dirtbag. Taking inspiration from Rock & Roll and Pop, DYLYN brings big energy and a bigger stage presence, a great pairing to tour with Rare Americans.
Up next was Rare Americans, a Canadian-Slovak alt/indie band, booming into the room with colorful onesies spelling out “you’re not a bad person” and a very loud whistle. After ditching the costumes, they went on to play many favorites, from the classics like Cats, Dogs & Rats to Moving On from their newest album release. About halfway through their set, the band paused for a break and a quick Q&A session – something I’ve never seen at a show before but it absolutely warmed my heart. One of their youngest fans asked a simple “how are you today?” and the band was so sweet to reply with gratitude towards their young fan.
The remainder of the show was filled with more goofy moments… should I mention the bear suit during their encore? Let’s let the picture speak for itself here.
After the show, both DYLYN and Rare Americans stuck around for photos, autographs, and some hang out time with their fans. Once again everyone was very kind and welcoming! A great end to a Monday night in Pittsburgh. There are only six shows left in this tour and five are sold out – better luck catching them next time around! 🙂
King Princess brought their Hold On Baby tour to StageAE with support from St. Panther and a wonderfully cheeky set from Boo Barrymore, making Tuesday way better!
King Princess are out in support of their latest studio album, Hold On Baby. It was a great set that ran through top works not just from Hold On but from also tracks from 2019’s Cheap Queen and even a cover of Hole’s Celebrity Skin to end the night out. Great way to have a Tuesday in Pittsburgh!
Opening for King Princess was the subtle but sublime St. Panther.
Between St. Panther and King Princess we were given a fabulous Freddie from Pittsburgh’s own Boo Barrymore!
Real Friends kicked off their fall tour, and With Confidence’s farewell tour, at Spirit Hall in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. A relatively intimate venue that was filled to capacity for these two bands — that’s for sure! On their tour, they brought along The Home Team and Taylor Acorn. It had to be a fantastic start to what would be an incredible tour for these guys.
Of Montreal brought their amazing and entertaining stage show to Atlanta’s Buckhead Theatre this weekend. Such an exciting, dynamic show! Pictures say a thousand words so here are some words….
I was lucky enough to travel to Cincinnati Ohio this past weekend to shoot photos at “Is For Lovers” festival. This incredible festival was presented by Hawthorne Heights, and spanned over three cities. The lineup for each show was hand picked by the members of Hawthorne Heights. The final day of the festival was held at Riverbend Music Center, and was filled with fantastic bands from all over the country!
First and foremost, I want to give the biggest thank you to the lovely folks of Mint Green. They were kind enough to bring me along this weekend, and it was one of the best nights of my life. They played a fantastic set, filled with old and new songs. The new songs from their debut LP “All Girls Go To Heaven” sounded amazing live, and the older songs from various EPs sounded as clean as ever. Ronnica, lead singer and guitarist, has such a fun stage presence and enjoys engaging with the audience. The set was a lot of fun, and got some crowd members dancing and singing along. After this weekend, Mint Green has a busy schedule. They will be playing multiple shows in the future, including ANTI-fest with Anti-flag and a few dates with supporting Cliffdiver.
The rest of the festival was so much fun. Bands played throughout three different stages throughout the day. I was able to catch a few pictures of the other bands that played.
(In order: Bad Luck, Hawthorne Heights, Kississippi, Knuckle Puck, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and The Amity Affliction)
The Wonder Years have been one of my favorite bands since I was a teenager. It was such an insane experience shooting photos of them at this festival. They played some new songs from their upcoming album “The Hum Goes On Forever” and fan favorites from previous releases. I got to meet lead singer Dan Campbell after the set, who said “I saw you down there, made sure I gave you some good shots.”
Thanks again to Ronnica and Mint Green for having me, I appreciate you all.
photos and words by tom. (www.instagram.com/trandallphoto)
