[ATTENDED: March 9, 2019] Talos
When I saw that Talos was opening for Aurora. I looked them up online and heard a couple of songs which I thought sounded cool. They were ethereal and soaring with lead singer Eoin French’s vocals rising to an incredible falsetto.
Turns out Talos are from Cork, Ireland and the band is largely French’s creation. As I understand it, he created all of the music on his first album (which was more electronic) and now has this massive five-piece backing him. Although on stage there were five total, so I’m not sure who was actually at our show.
The band made amazing atmospheric music. Between the synths that the keyboardist/bassist was playing and the guitar/synths that French played, the songs were just full of textures. Couple that with French’s voice which was really powerful but could also reach staggering heights, and add in the flair and splash of a drummer and a percussionist and you have an amazing symphonic sound that really rocks.
They had a Sigur Rós vibe, but were definitely doping their own thing.
After the set I spoke to them a little and joked with French that his speaking voice sounded nothing like his singing voice. He said that no one understood what he was singing anyway. This was certainly true on some tracks. When his voice was lower, he still sounded good.
Certainly the most enjoyable guy to watch was percussionist Sam McNicholl. On his Instagram page, he describes himself as musician/magician which I like. He was very animated at the side of the stage. Waving sticks, hitting things in all manner of ways, and at one point even breaking a stick in half. I didn’t actually realize there was a second drummer and couldn’t imagine how he was doing all of that with such a small kit. The other drummer was on the far side of the stage and from where I was standing, he was blocked by gear and the guitarist. But his contribution was excellent too.
McNicholl was there signing discs after the show as well and he was very friendly, too.
I didn’t really catch any song names, but a number of them came from their new album Far Out Dust which came out last month.
My favorite track of all was the last one which opened with a bowed guitar and a bowed bass. By the end of the song it had built up incredibly intensity and just turned into a transcendent experience.
Although their stage show wasn’t anything special–opening bands don’t get to do very much–they still had an excellent presence. I can imagine that if they put half as much thought into a light show, that show would be magnificent. Because even without it, it was unforgettable.
They’re coming back for a short headlining tour this summer. Definitely check them out.
The band members:
Eoin French – Vocals + Guitar + Keys
Josh Sampson – Percussion
Sam McNicholl – Percussion + Vox
David O’Connell – Strings + Keys
Sonny Sampson – Bass
Alex Sampson – Guitar + Vox
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