I guess it’s not surprising for a Tuesday night concert, but it’s too bad more of a crowd didn’t turn out last night (Oct. 2) to see Oakley Hall at Schubas. They’re a terrific band, taking some Fairport Convention-style English folk with male and female vocals and updating it with psychedelic flourishes and some loud guitar jamming. They put on a very good show last night, with songs from all three of their recent albums, including the new I’ll Follow You, out recently on Merge Records. There was a joyous energy to the show, culminating with a rave-up version of “Having Fun Again.” Oakley Hall recently played some gigs with Chicago’s The 1900s as the opening band, and most of the 1900s were in attendance last night. Oakley Hall dedicated the set to them.
The club was really empty as the night began, a nice moment of musical discovery. A band called Box of Baby Birds played first, performing some really cool and subtle songs. It reminded me a little of Grizzly Bear’s mellowness or the rootsier music of Palliard, with a few bits of Emerson, Lake & Palmer synth thrown in. Cool stuff. Check out the group at: www.myspace.com/boxofbabybirds. The second band of the night was Tight Phantomz, which was not really my cup of tea. The band put on a lively show of hard rock verging on heavy metal.
See my photos of Oakley Hall, Box of Baby Birds and Tight Phantomz.