Borrisokane is a band gaining credibility quickly as they’ve played some great shows and solid bills in recent months. We loved their album release show, which pulled out all the stops. Opening the bill at the Mohawk a week ago proved another excellent outing for the band. Making use of bright lights synced with audio peaks during the set, the band enhances their live show with visual stimuli, and their songs adeptly blend earnest lyricism that dances between depressing and hopeful. With a large cast of members, the group is able to create diverse and complex arrangements that translate better live even than when recorded. We definitely recommend getting out to see them.
We felt incredibly guilty about the fact that our double duty at Hotel Vegas for La Luz and GALPALS caused us to miss Pageantry, but we’re marking our calendars now for their next show. The Denton band will play Austin again on August 24th along with Good Field, Feverbones, and Black Books. It’s really a lineup from heaven, so be there, Austin.
Closing the night, The Calm Blue Sea performed their instrumentally focused and sweeping post-rock arrangements. Fittingly, the aural experience is not unlike the physical experience of being carried out to sea with successively larger, swelling waves. The Calm Blue Sea has risen to be one of Austin’s most talked about bands, playing alongside large local and touring acts, so it was great to see a solid all-local bill of up-and-coming bands playing with them. It’s this kind of camaraderie that makes music scenes great.
All photos © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
