Losing September @ Birdy's in Indianapolis
[+ Show ]
As Losing September tore into their opening song on Tuesday night, heads began to bob across the roo...As Losing September tore into their opening song on Tuesday night, heads began to bob across the room to the heavy bass line. Comprised only of guitars (3 electric, one bass) and a drum set, their sound is as enormous as one would expect from such a compilation. A cheap description of their style would stop at “metal”. What they really are is more accurately defined as dark, yet powerful, vigorous rock paired with striking melodic quality.
Lead vocalist Bruce Fane holds most responsibility for the latter. Having devoured Losing September’s demo tracks many times over prior to this show, I carried slight reservations about the transformation of his voice from record to live microphone. “When I Close My Eyes” eased these apprehensions almost instantly. Fane’s tone is abnormally high for music of this genre, bringing a unique, but fragile, element to their songs. Drawn out high notes laid over pounding guitars can leave a lot of room for noticeable vocal imperfections. Seemingly aware of this, Fane hit the high note at the front of the chorus every time with a strong accent, followed by an immediate drop in volume. This effectively allowed him to cradle the note until he was ready to move on. His mastery of this skill will prove to be a token characteristic of Losing September, a matchless identifier of the sound they have created.
Guitarist Nick Foreman’s back-up vocals are the icing on Fane’s already-delicious cake. His Slipknot-esque interjections always come at just the right time. In “Double Entendre”, the opening track on their demo, the song starts light with a single guitar line and vocals, then breaks into heavier, solid beats. The climax continues as they enter the chorus and Fane bellows the lyrics at maximum volume. This is Foreman’s cue for his signature death growl in which he echoes, “Take my breath away!” It is this and other strategically placed screaming outbursts that keep Losing September on the harder side of the fence between metal and rock- just enough edge to rough things up a bit, but never over-bearing.
Switching gears about half way through the set, the band graced the audience with an unlikely cover of Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles. This was an impressive choice, as translating the string-laden original into a thumping rock cover comes off as a daunting task. Not only did they gracefully and respectfully accomplish this undertaking, but they meshed it with their own unique sound so well that more than halfway through the song my memory bank still had not located the original tune. “Is this a cover?” I asked my neighbor while tapping my foot to the semi-familiar song.
Losing September offers the complete package at a live concert. Musically, their songs are well-written and instrumentally balanced, driven by softly sung melodies sprinkled with coarse snarls. As they present the music, they express emotion in their actions. Guitarist Kyle Cook and bassist Andrew Wellman take turns shifting their attention to the back of the stage and playing at drummer Jimi Rodriguez, making eye contact with him and double-teaming the beats that are the backbone of the band. In true rock star tradition, there is no shortage of long hair for tossing around in this group- be it Cook’s curly, feather-light blonde tresses or Foreman’s dreadlocks, nearly the same length as his own torso. These physical characteristics act as accessories to their stage presence, helping to emphasize the various levels of energy behind select portions of the show. When Fane didn’t have a guitar strapped to him, his passion was observable with every jump, kick, and turn he made.
Losing September, the first of three bands on the bill, drew a large crowd considering their 9:00 p.m. start time and short 45-minute set, allowing time for just fewer than ten songs. Small-town fans drove from the rural Portland and Muncie area to support their home-grown talent, as well as Indianapolis-transplants who once attended high school (some, even elementary school!) with the members of Losing September. When Street Light Suzie (a rock’n’roll band with southern flavor from Texas) began their set after a short intermission, the room was noticeably less occupied. It was as if there had been a mix-up in the scheduling of set times and the headlining act drew the shortest straw, being forced to play first. Regardless, the crowd was visibly pleased and genuinely impressed.
Look for the return of Losing September at The Melody Inn in coming months. Until then, check their website (www.losingseptember.com) frequently for new tracks and schedule updates. And, should you find yourself in Ft. Wayne on May 7th, don’t miss them at The Fort’s premier concert venue for rock’n’roll, Piere’s.
