Live music review: Rising Austin synth act Urban Heat played Metro Music Hall with Gvllow

Rising Austin synth pop, post-punk act Urban Heat played Salt Lake City’s Metro Music Hall on August 7 with intense, darkwave, horror rock band Gvllow from Southern California. Led by veteran musician, Jonathan Horstmann whose previous project, BLXPLTN was well regarded in a crowded Austin music scene. With Urban Heat, Horstmann has elevated his game, earning Song of the Year at the Austin Music Awards last March with the single “Have You Ever.” The trio’s superlative performance last Wednesday in SLC showed just how far the young band formed in 2019 has gotten in a relatively short period of time.

With a new album, The Tower due out in a couple days (August 16), a hit single under their belt and appearances at high profile festivals like Cruel World and Darker Waves, Urban Heat have a bright future and great music ahead of them. The current tour which took them on a West Coast swing before heading to SLC winds up in Austin with a show at 3TEN at ACL Live followed by an in-store at Waterloo Records to celebrate the release of the new recording.

Hardcore darkwave, horror act, Gvllow provided support for Urban Heat with an intense, visceral set from the Riverside, California natives. The band is touring in support of their latest album, Twin Flames which dropped in February on Sumerian Records. Besides being incredibly loud and fun to watch, the group covered The Cure in a nod to their post-punk influences. The fact that the group made the song their own as opposed to trying to precisely reproduce the Robert Smith tune told us all we needed to know. This is an act to keep your eye on.

The bandleader’s unflappable nature on stage was impressive. Midway through the set, his mic went out between songs and he calmly unplugged the cord and stepped to the front of stage to continue his spiel about the merch and recordings Gvllow had brought along for fans. Many performers might have gotten flustered. He didn’t miss a beat. This is not only a great live band, but clearly seasoned performers that Urban Heat had the good sense to invite along with them.

Shortly after, Urban Heat took the stage in front of a crowd that clearly knew their music as there were more than a few fans singing along amid the goth, black-clad  fans. They knew Urban Heat were not to be missed. Horstmann and his bandmates, Kevin Naquin (vocals, guitar, synth) and Paxel Foley (bass, synth) delivered an energizing set that only got better as it went on.

Urban Heat opened the show with “Running Out of Time” a single that came out near the beginning of 2020 eventually appearing on the Wellness album that released two years ago. The track shows off Horstmann’s vocal abilities amid a synth and drums intro that eventually brings in vocals and guitar that show the “star-ready frontman” as Spin Magazine described the dynamic frontman who seems to know all the moves on stage in addition to having the looks and fitness of an comic superhero.

Indeed, audible squeals were heard from fans when the singer took off his shirt later in the set as Urban Heat ramped up the intensity delivering a great version of hit tune, “A Simple Love Song.” Fans lustily sang along, clearly as ready for the moment as the group were after a lengthy tour that began in Calgary June 25. The trio had already played 10 shows coming into the Metro Music Hall performance on top of a busy touring schedule last year. They were on top of their game and played like it.

Urban Heat finished the entirely satisfying 15-song set with two more hits, “Seven Safe Places” which has seen critical acclaim from most music publications. Music fans clearly love it, as they also sang along to this track and the band’s most popular song, “Have You Ever?” which already has over 1.5 million plays on Spotify with lyrics that reveal how deep Horstmann goes. This is a man who feels and thinks deeply about the world around him. The last stanza leaves the listener a bit awed by the message.

Please follow and like us: