Friday night was freezing cold, and it still didn’t stop Austin from coming out to the Mohawk to see three bands that excel among the city’s bevy of performing artists. The crowd was impressively sizeable despite the cold from the onset, but grew to almost fill the Mohawk’s outdoor space as the night wore on.
Borrisokane opened the night with their blend of electronic pop and indie-rock. With synth-string flourishes and propulsive beats, the band recalls Joy Division and like-minded new wave artists. Too, the artistic similarities to headliners The Octopus Project should be noted. Before the show, drummer Josh Denslow expressed great enthusiasm for playing on Mohawk’s outdoor stage and opening for Octopus Project, whom he praised highly. It’s always refreshing to see a young band thrilled at the opportunity to play music.
The cold seemed to matter little to the band as they cranked out indie pop jams cut with an edge of neurotic wildness. Every time I’ve seen Borrisokane, they’ve been great. The band is still resides in an undercurrent of Austin’s independent music scene, but the band is quietly becoming an undeniable indie-rock powerhouse.
Tele Novella played next, and the cold seemed to enhance the band’s energy rather than derail it. Frontwoman Natalie Ribbons bounced around the stage and rocked harder then I’ve seen her in an apparent attempt to stay warm. The members of Tele Novella have assembled from the parts of former bands Agent Ribbons, Voxtrot, and Belaire. These Austin musicians have always been in solid bands, but it does feel that Tele Novella has captured attention locally and nationally in a way that previous projects (save Voxtrot) have been able to. The band is young, but there’s an energy surrounding them. We have our fingers crossed for a full-length soon.
I’ve seen The Octopus Project before, but for some reason, on this cold Friday in December, their set impressed more so than ever. For one, I haven’t seen the band perform with that particular set of visual projections, which featured patterns of color and light as well as faces and animations. Secondly, the band has truly reached a level of tightness seen only in an upper echelon of performers. It only makes sense, as the band relies on instrumentation and eschews lyrics, but this level of calibration and cohesion is truly staggering. Fans at the show remained completely enamored for the duration, and several avid concertgoers arrived at the front of the stage early in the night and braved the elements through to the end. The Octopus Project has certainly reached a new height in my estimation, and I look forward to catching them again soon.
All photos © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
