Live music review: Grandmaster Gala Two at Paramount with Nolan Potter and Urban Heat
The second annual Grandmaster Gala took place at the Paramount Theatre in Austin last Saturday, July 26 bringing the best of the local music scene, band curated visual art, and a sendoff of one of Austin’s most adored acts. The event came as the first time local mega ensemble Grandmaster took the stage at the world-famous venue, bringing a destination event for the band and their peers that have been a part of their meteoric rise in the local scene since their inception in 2023. The event was hosted by Austin show promoter Jake Ames, a task that was not taken lightly to mark a new chapter of Grandmaster and their already loyal local following.
New York City’s The Thing took the first opening slot, bringing the vibes of a band that sounds like they could be a British guitar band but lay their hands in the Big Apple. The group made a herculean effort to hype up the seated crowd, each taking turns on the mic to deliver their ballistic brand of post punk to the stage. The East Coast act had previously appeared with Grandmaster co-frontman’s solo project Sexpop, showing a friendship that stretches across the country before the Berklee College of Music alumni made their way to Austin to build their musical empire.
Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band made their way to the stage next, their second Gala appearance as bandleader Potter has been a staying force in the engineering of the headlining band’s recorded catalog. The members of the Nightmare live outfit have remained interlocked throughout their live tenure, even since switching drummers to Prehuman and Vvvooollluuummme member Math Judson.
Potter announced towards the end of the opening set that the Gala would be their last performance for a stretch, opting to focus on production for the foreseeable future. The set also included a thoughtful cover of “Electric Funeral” by Black Sabbath. A fitting tribute for the late Ozzy Osbourne.
Urban Heat’s brand of dark wave has put a spell on the Austin scene – and Saturday was no exception. Frontman Jonathan Horstmann’s onstage energy captures the retro vibes of Depeche Mode and New Order with ease, bringing a mesmerizing wall of sound that pulses with electrifying intensity. A signee of Spaceflight Records with their headlining label mates Grandmaster, the presence of Urban Heat reins supreme in the local music hive and beyond with several festival dates under their belts. The band is currently set to embark on a West Coast tour beginning September 6 in Houston and finishing in Austin at Levitation on September 27.
Grandmaster took the stage in their usual dozen-or-so members form, bringing their instrumental prowess along with introducing a new chapter of their career in the Austin music scene. Bandleaders Nick Leon, Blaise Eldred, and Connor Mizzell have crafted a new world for their concept art, and their fans take part in the practices of such. Debut album tracks “Sacred Prophecy,” “Castle Door,” and “Holy Star” appeared, along with new single “Feel It Coming.” The set continued with a speech from the Grandmaster himself, appearing to crown the band members or “Zealots” as a master of a certain element like water or fire.
With new regalia to commemorate their transformation, the local outfit rejoiced in what is sure to be a fresh new era of riveting storytelling and compelling legends through song. The ending of their ceremonious closing number “Boss Battle” featured an enthusiastic cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” taking another opportunity to honor the departed rocker to send the evening home.
All photos by Troy Gonzales
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