Live Music Review: The Bright Light Social Hour Works Magic at Mohawk

The Bright Light Social Hour is currently on tour following the release of their new LP, Emergency Leisure but the band made a pitstop in their hometown last Saturday night, playing The Mohawk before a throng of loyal, exuberant fans.

It was a warm, full-moon October weekend – perfect for an outdoor show. Good Looks opened with some grungy, funky Texas rock, and the stage was covered with a lush array of potted plants courtesy of Play to the Plants. By the time The Bright Light Social Hour took to their places it was just after ten o’clock and the crowd was primed. Frontman Jackie O’Brien had posted on his instagram earlier that day promising a rager, and Austin, Texas was here for it. 

O’Brien (bass/vocals), Curtis Roush (guitar/vocals), Zac Catanzaro (drums), Mia Carruthers (keys/vocals) and Juan “Alfredo” Ríos (percussion) assembled onstage as O’Brien greeted the hyped audience with love before assisting Zak Peters of Play to the Plants in taking a massive bong rip to ceremoniously open the show. 

Immediately thereafter, the band kicked off with a tasty percussion-heavy version of “Not New,” the first track on Emergency Leisure, raising the already electric vibe. From there the audience was treated to a generous 90-minutes from the band’s two-decades together – a catalog that blends deep, classic R&B; wild, uninhibited funk; and far out psych rock dressed up with soul-throbbing guitar work by Roush, who regularly goes off on his solos with breathtaking competence.

Between songs O’Brien told the story of one of the band’s earliest reviews in which a journalist described their sound as “Hillbilly Disco.” He emphasized how insulted they were by the description back then before declaring with gleeful defiance, “But, like, fuck it! We do hillbilly disco,” as the audience cheered. He also let the audience know that he was missing his high school reunion that night to be there. (Carruthers joked that it was a ‘toss up’ which he would attend.) In fact, O’Brien was in rare form throughout the show, at one point climbing the side of the stage and howling lyrics into the night; then joining the audience with his bass on the floor in front of the stage during an absolutely blazing rendition of the perennial favorite “Shanty.”

Other notable moments included a flawless performance of “Prefecture” during which the sound coming from all five musicians was so astonishingly well-balanced it felt like they were telepathically communicating. Then, a face-melting rendition of “Slipstream” when Roush’s guitar work took us to another planet; and a juiced up version of “Small Celebrations” that elevated an already great song into a masterpiece of jam. When the band returned to the stage for the final song of the evening, they laid down a torchy, over-the-top rendition of “Detroit” that hit so deep you needed a cigarette afterward.

The only real disappointment had to do with the size of the venue which pushed Catanzaro and Rios so far back it was difficult to see them while standing in front of the stage. These two bring so much power and danceability to the band’s performances and watching them play can be a real treat.

These days, anyone can make themselves sound good in the studio. A band may sound great on a record, but when they show up live their lack of skill and showmanship is a disappointment. Still other bands attempt to recreate their albums onstage, playing skillfully by rote and keeping inside the lines. But for all the musicianship and technology needed to put on a live rock show, what keeps audiences showing up is something that can’t be engineered.  

The best live shows come from bands like The Bright Light Social Hour who understand how to work with the energy of their audience, allowing their fans to energetically contribute to the performance. It’s clear the band members like and respect one another. It’s equally clear that they thrive in front of a crowd. These folks are skillful musicians who live and breathe their art, and not simply well-trained performers. To watch them work together in real time, exchanging cues, immersing themselves in the experience and exchanging energy between themselves and their fans is the closest thing to magic there is. 

The Bright Light Social Hour are currently on tour with shows scheduled in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada through November 11. Go get you some.

Featured photo by Amanda Quraishi. Videos and additional photo by Zak Peters of Play to the Plants

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