I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: June 30, 2024] Grails

My friend Eleanor told me about this show and I immediately grabbed a ticket.

Grails opened with a mellow almost spooky instrumental with Jesse Bates playing synth and flute.  Alex Hall did something with his phone in front of his guitar’s pickups.  I wonder what app he was using.

Then the whole band kicked in drummer Emil Amos (who was incredible but who I couldn’t see very well because of the keyboard in front of me) played a delicate rhythm.  I stood almost in front of Ilyas Ahmed who played guitar in so many different styles, he was marvelous to watch.

And there was a keyboard player in the back who I literally never saw but who was playing low end and waves of sounds.

As the song progresses, Bates played slide guitar–a pretty melody  over the waves of music.  And the song builds and builds.

Through the course of the night, there were excellent bass lines, some wild drums, and more flute.

The whole night set was terrific.  The moods and emotions that they conveyed through these instrumentals were terrific.  What was interesting/amusing was the videos the venue showed behind the band. I don’t know if the band had any say in the video but I enjoyed screen shots like “Rivers turn to blood” and what looked like someone having a psychedelic trip.  At one point during a quiet moment I saw Amos look up at the screen and chuckle.

The set ended with Origin-ing–a fast bassline with some terrific starts and stops as the band was totally in sync.

It was a great show and I’m so glad I got to see them live.

1. Word Made Flesh ♦
2. Sisters of Bilitis ∇
3. Immediate Mate ♠
4. New Prague Ψ
5. Burden of Hope ß
6. Belgian Wake-Up Drill ≡
7. Lord I Hate Your Day ß
8. Evening Song ∇
9. Sad & Illegal ∇
10. Origin-ing ∞