Show Pics: Beacon @ The Parish (2/18)

Beacon.

Timing. Getting things uploaded, working things between these really awesome announcements. I am sharing pics from a show I was looking forward to since it was announced. Beacon played The Parish. Last SxSW, I was very impressed by their set at the Ghostly International showcase. As always, the translation from showcase mini-set to full on show is anticipated and welcomed. MOAR.

Along for the tour was Natasha Kmeto with local Soundfounder starting things off. Lovely night for the ATH IT Department.

It’s OK, Soundfounder. We are cool with your lack of stage talk antics. Your layered beats and song-crafting was plenty for me. This collector of sounds (aka Andrew P. Brown) put a catalog on display that set a high bar for those to follow. Samples were shifted and bent, transformed and placed into beats and glitches and pretty things.

Natasha Kmeto explained her lack of a band as selfish for now. She wanted to show off a little. I don’t blame her. Plenty of laptop solo artists lack musicality. Kmeto knows the songs are good and plenty in attendance agreed as they made requests and danced along. Keep an eye out. She will probably have asked for a few musicians to join her the next time through town, but I don’t it will take away from her control of the setting.

Beacon came on a little after midnight, my only real complaint on the night. I was tired. So were many others that had to bail before the last song, but their loss. Well, there was one other complaint; the damn mic stand was in the way of some really rad pics and cloning out is just dishonest. Heh.

On to the awesome. Black and white visuals from a projector suited the songs, fill lights on the floor behind consumed the thick air. Songs were set into motion by Jacob Gossett with blanks filled by Thomas Mullarney III‘s vocal. The setlist was a best-of from the last few records, focusing on the more upbeat songs conducive to the live world. Despite not being a huge crowd (there was so much going on that night), they were thankful for each and every person dancing, gazing, lost in space. Percussive sequences drummed out to synth pads, heads down at respective stations for heavy groove, which was often. Beacon, look into them if you haven’t.