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Nov. 25 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
See Also
Nov. 26 Iowa city, IA @ the Picador Nov. 28 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater Nov. 30 Boise, ID @ Neurolux Dec. 2 Seattle, WA @ Neumos Dec. 3 Spokane, WA @ Big Dipper Dec. 4 Portland, OR @ Berbati's Dec. 6 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent Dec. 8 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour Dec 9 Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar Dec 11 West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour |
I've been meaning to check out this new Barcelona band, as they share their name with the new wave synth nerd band that I mentioned last year. This band, based out of Seattle, is a quartet (on tour they are a trio, but we'll get to that later), and is best described as a melodic rock band - signed to Curb Appeal Records with backing for worldwide on Warner/Chappell.
With introductions out of the way, they are currently on tour in support of their 2007 album Absolutes. Listening to the album yesterday, I was expecting more of a mellow set but I'm proven wrong as they opened up their show with three very upbeat rock songs, followed by two slower songs - one was called "Faded" which was about singer/songwriter Brian Fennell's friend going through a divorce.
The rest of their set was more up-tempoed, all except some song called "Time to Mend," played when the lights dimmed and the rest of the band left the stage. Fennell dropped the comfort of his keyboard to pick up and play guitar as he agonized over a breakup with his girlfriend. He did comment that he wrote the song prior to the breakup but it seems to me the feeling came through.
I was happy to see they did one cover song, "One is the Loneliest Number", but the version Barcelona played sounded nothing like the original song. My favorite song on Absolutes is "It's About Time," which is the song they ended with on a high note for this show.
As for the venue, of course, the Varsity Theater is one of my favorite places. It's so chameleon-like, as the stage and dance floor can be changed at a whim, as explained to me by staff/security person, David, after I noticed the floor was covered in a red carpet. The audience ranged from very young (12-year-old girls) to old geezers like myself but that's to be expected at an all-ages show. There were, surprisingly, a lot of very young women photographers in the audience, snapping pictures at every opportunity.
I believe 30% of the audience left as local Weaver at the Loom (myspace) left the stage. They started playing very early (shortly after 5:30 p.m.) and they seem to sound more like Barcelona, rather than Low vs. Diamond (lowvsdiamond.com/myspace). Although I will tell you that I was rather impressed with Low vs. Diamond; their sound is kind of an electrified rock and their singer, Lucas Field, seems to be really comfortable on stage. But I suspect they're used to playing to a more energetic crowd. For more pictures of the show, especially Low vs. Diamond, be sure to check out britrockatthetop.com.
Another surprise at the show was singer Chris Kalgren from This World Fair in the audience in support of Barcelona. Apparently they have played together and are good friends.
As for the Absolutes album, you should definitely check it out if you're a fan of WB-type music. From my understanding, some of the songs on Absolutes are recycled from Brian Fennell's debut album, Safety Songs, but after hearing Barcelona's version of "Numb", I can tell you that song functions more like a full band vs. a one singer/songwriter (especially with its angelic chorus).
You will also get "Colors," a very happy (love?) song, which I don't recall being played during their set. Perhaps they play this one at a full show, as at an all ages show, they were pressured to end the set early. Again, "It's About Time" is on this album; there are definitely some produced mixes in the studio version that make it stand out from the version that was played live.
Be sure to check out the Barcelona/Low vs. Diamond tour heading through the rest of 2008. You can pick up the album on merchsquad.com which also includes the vinyl version - which I have to add is becoming more popular as more and more music fans have turned to collecting vinyl records.
With introductions out of the way, they are currently on tour in support of their 2007 album Absolutes. Listening to the album yesterday, I was expecting more of a mellow set but I'm proven wrong as they opened up their show with three very upbeat rock songs, followed by two slower songs - one was called "Faded" which was about singer/songwriter Brian Fennell's friend going through a divorce.
The rest of their set was more up-tempoed, all except some song called "Time to Mend," played when the lights dimmed and the rest of the band left the stage. Fennell dropped the comfort of his keyboard to pick up and play guitar as he agonized over a breakup with his girlfriend. He did comment that he wrote the song prior to the breakup but it seems to me the feeling came through.
I was happy to see they did one cover song, "One is the Loneliest Number", but the version Barcelona played sounded nothing like the original song. My favorite song on Absolutes is "It's About Time," which is the song they ended with on a high note for this show.
As for the venue, of course, the Varsity Theater is one of my favorite places. It's so chameleon-like, as the stage and dance floor can be changed at a whim, as explained to me by staff/security person, David, after I noticed the floor was covered in a red carpet. The audience ranged from very young (12-year-old girls) to old geezers like myself but that's to be expected at an all-ages show. There were, surprisingly, a lot of very young women photographers in the audience, snapping pictures at every opportunity.
 Barcelona - Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (11/24/08) ♥ photo by vu |
 Barcelona - Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (11/24/08) ♥ photo by vu |
I believe 30% of the audience left as local Weaver at the Loom (myspace) left the stage. They started playing very early (shortly after 5:30 p.m.) and they seem to sound more like Barcelona, rather than Low vs. Diamond (lowvsdiamond.com/myspace). Although I will tell you that I was rather impressed with Low vs. Diamond; their sound is kind of an electrified rock and their singer, Lucas Field, seems to be really comfortable on stage. But I suspect they're used to playing to a more energetic crowd. For more pictures of the show, especially Low vs. Diamond, be sure to check out britrockatthetop.com.
Another surprise at the show was singer Chris Kalgren from This World Fair in the audience in support of Barcelona. Apparently they have played together and are good friends.
As for the Absolutes album, you should definitely check it out if you're a fan of WB-type music. From my understanding, some of the songs on Absolutes are recycled from Brian Fennell's debut album, Safety Songs, but after hearing Barcelona's version of "Numb", I can tell you that song functions more like a full band vs. a one singer/songwriter (especially with its angelic chorus).
You will also get "Colors," a very happy (love?) song, which I don't recall being played during their set. Perhaps they play this one at a full show, as at an all ages show, they were pressured to end the set early. Again, "It's About Time" is on this album; there are definitely some produced mixes in the studio version that make it stand out from the version that was played live.
Be sure to check out the Barcelona/Low vs. Diamond tour heading through the rest of 2008. You can pick up the album on merchsquad.com which also includes the vinyl version - which I have to add is becoming more popular as more and more music fans have turned to collecting vinyl records.
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