Setlist
Tour Dates
07/27/13 "Wicker Park Festival"
08/24/13 "Birmingham Revival" 09/05/13 "Live On The Green" Read More Bastille Day
Minneapolis' Bastille Day is happening today, Sunday, July 14th, 2013, from 3pm to 10pm. The annual block party sponsored by Barbette Café is open and free to the public. ....…
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This year, the all-day festival was headlined by up-and-coming Nashville-based Leagues, an anthemic- alt pop band touring mainly summer festivals to promote their first full-length, ‘You Belong Here’ (Bufalotone Records). Born from the collaboration Thad Cockrell (lead vocal) and former bassist Mike Simons in Raleigh five years ago, they soon recruited Minnesota-based Tyler Burkum (guitar) and Jeremy Lutito (drums) to convene in Nashville in 2010 to record their debut album.
Burkum, along with their current touring bassist, still call Minnesota home, so it was a bit of a hometown gig and generally well-received by the beer-swilling hipsters that converged on the end of the blocked-off street stage.
Beginning with ‘One Hand’, then into the album’s title track, the four-piece established their live sound as bigger than the small stage they stalked, were sonically reminiscent of some aspects of U2 and are eminently radio-friendly. The pop-rock pleaser ‘Walking Backwards’ and slightly bluesy ‘Magic’ allowed Burkum to stretch out on guitar, a music veteran dating back to his Christian rock days with Audio Adrenaline.
Largest response was expectedly for the single, ‘Spotlight’, which is garnering regular radio airplay and the band finished with the New Wave / soul-tinged ‘Haunted’. A somewhat unexpected two-song encore followed after some delay, highlighted by ‘Safety’ with Cockrell crooning “I don’t want the safety...I don’t want the high road...would you let me get me lost...” to great and very appropriate effect on a hot hazy afternoon.
Not announced yet, expect Leagues to embark on a full and proper tour this fall, including a local stop at St. Paul’s Turf Club – a band on the rise, and worth catching live before they move on to bigger venues and success.
Leagues at Barbette Bastille Day Block Party, Minneapolis (07/14/13) |
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