Show Review: Woods @ Red 7 (10.24)
Having fallen in love with Bend Beyond, the recent release from Woods, I couldn’t wait for the show at Red 7. It topped off what was already an excellent night of music for us at ATH, and for those of you in Austin.
Read on for the usual words and photos.
Austin’s Hidden Ritual opened the night with their psychedelic tunes, and for all intents and purposes, they did a really good job. I love their sound, especially the guitar work, which is quite intricate, but I guess I’m a bit concerned by their stage presence. For the majority of the set they seemed a bit indifferent towards being on the stage, and I couldn’t clearly tell if that was just their schtick, or a true representation of their feelings. I guess that’s tacky to focus on the performance when the music was so excellent, but I think it’s definitely a part of the live show.
Widowspeak won me over at SXSW this past year, so I was excited to see them on this bill. Molly Hamilton has a sultry voice that seems perfectly suited to the music they’re crafting at the moment. It’s an intimate sound, flirting with bedroom pop, but the band did really open it up at the end of their set. Perhaps that was due to an influx in the audience, but I still got that same feeling from the group’s performance. There were hints of energy amongst moments of delicious melody, all of it captivating and personal. Never seen a bad set from this band.
And finally our night wrapped up with Woods. You know, the more I listen to this band, and the more work they put out, the more in love I find myself. Their most recent record Bend Beyond continues to impress, especially after the captivating live set they put on Wednesday. Songs like “Bend Beyond” and “Cali in a Cup” were executed to perfection, including the elongated jam session on the former. It impressed upon me that my earliest worries about the group’s ramshackle approach has long since faded away into the past. They were one of the tightest bands I’ve seen in a long time, which is even more incredible considering the constant bouncing around of all four members.
In the end, I think I left most impressed by Jeremy Earl’s voice. I don’t know why I didn’t notice it years ago, but it has the same emotional pull as the first time I listened to James Mercer. It’s distinct and it’s warm. Every time you put a Woods record on, the first thing you get, for me at least, is Earl’s voice. I wondered if the sincerity would translate live, and it more than lived up to my expectations. For me, it was the quiet guy jamming out stage right that won the show, though every member was impressive. Trust me, Woods is only going to get better, so don’t fight it, fall in love.
