The set winds into its natural close with Time to Run. Way Out There takes them gently by the heart and leads them through the dark spectral landscape. It’s the kind of dramatic contrast fans have come to expect from the last two albums and it’s well received by the audience, by now hustling to keep up with the twists and turns of the night. It’s a fun set and the audience can’t help but catch the vibe too.īetween the pulsating green lights that silhouette the band on the Ancient Names twin-set there’s a romantic interlude from “Strange Trails” in the form of La Belle Fleur Sauvage and Fool For Love which sees Schneider throwing flowers into the audience before accepting certain death in a bar fight over the object of his affection. Moonbeam and Hurricane stir up the crowd with additional guitarist Brandon Walters and keyboardist Misty Boyce having their own dance-off either side of drummer Mark Barry. Ends of the Earth, Ghost on the Shore and She Lit A Fire instantly transport devoted listeners back the band’s earlier explorations while providing an atmospheric shift in the tone of the evening. The echo of an owl, a distant thunderstorm and crackling campfire lead into a string of crowd favourites from the band’s debut LP, 2012’s “Lonesome Dreams”. There’s a sonic theme to these songs on the record that is well spaced in the live set, always keeping the crowd in anticipation of their next wayward turn. There are also times when Schneider removes his headwear for romantic effect as on the crooners Wait By The River and When The Night Is Over. Schneider’s hair refuses to be contained beneath his fetching fedora and the hat meets the ground at regular intervals as the band lift off on more raucous songs like Back From The Edge and Ancient Names, Pts. Meet Me in the Woods continues their journey into the unknown before emerging through the black magic of Secret of Life and the character study of a chance meeting with an undead World Ender in Dead Man’s Hand. The World Ender is a dark and brooding tale that brings everyone crashing back to barren earth, unsure how they arrived and curious to see what fates await. Opening with the buoyant but chorus-less teaser Never Ever, the band lay their intentions bare: We came to rock! The feeling is mutual, at least on the floor where punters are bouncing around, fists pounding the stratosphere in attempts to reach a heightened state of elation. These mellow moments are offset by Schneider’s resonant vocals and Miguel Briseño’s pulsing bass. There are times, before the band first emerges on stage and at occasional intervals throughout, where a mysterious voice urges listeners to “follow the emerald star” while a jazzy lounge tune grooves in the background. The set is heavy on tracks from the latest release, “Vide Noir”, which sees the band experimenting a bit more with the dark side of studio magic. All these sounds exist within the space but never is one found wandering aimlessly. The energy radiating from the stage throughout their set is just enough to reach the souls at the very back of the hall without black-braining them in a cacophony of distorted guitars, storming bass, luscious harmonies, turbulent percussion and eerie theramin. It’s perhaps unsurprising then to find rows of empty seats in such a grand concert hall, for a band who typically fly under the mainstream radar, however this void in no way diminishes the band’s performance. This is the second round of touring in the UK for Lord Huron this year and they’ve made certain to cover new territory once again, bypassing Manchester in favour of Liverpool, and leaving out Scotland, Ireland and Wales altogether. Schneider points out that they’ve never played on this side of the river before and it seems by the crowd’s response that they’ve also travelled from outside the local area. ![]() ![]() ![]() Other venues on this leg of the Vide Noir tour have been as varied as any the band has ever played from a night at London’s famous Roundhouse to the obscure Sheffield nightclub, Plug the night before their appearance in the north-east. It might be a surprise to UK fans of Lord Huron to find the band booked into such an extravagant venue as Sage One in the beautiful Gateshead complex but by the end of their spirited performance there could be no doubting, this is a band who belong on the big stages. They’re going fucking nuts up there by the way” he jokes while he demonstrates an exaggerated style of dad-dancing. “It’s good to see they’re out tonight especially in the upper levels. “We’ve always been a ghost-friendly band” quips Ben Schneider.
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