Red Sparowes / Caspian / Fang Island

I hit up the Hawthorne Theater in Portland last night for an awesome show featuring my buddies Caspian, who have spent the last few weeks as direct support for Red Sparowes. It was a night of awesome instrumental music, save for tour openers Fang Island. And of course, my best friend – red lighting made it out to the show as well.

The recently buzz worthy Fang Island opened the night to a decent sized crowd in the small theater. Fang Island received tons of praise, acclaim, and Twitter trending status during this years SXSW Festival in Austin, TX. Their quick set was punctuated with heavy yet still poppy guitars and a 4 man harmony during the sparse vocals. Though not an obvious fit with the other two bands on the tour, I can see the link between the three.

The stage in the Hawthorne was light by eight LED strips, which were set on red and left that way for the duration of the night. The only saving grace of the set up was that the lighting was evenly spaced and provided adequate front and back lighting. Unfortunately, the monochrome set up left my shots feeling very flat – a feeling not felt during the sets of wandering and expansive music.

Caspian filled the direct support spot. And, honestly, stole the show away from Fang Island and Red Sparowes. Their stage energy combined with the power, intensity, and volume of their music is a force unmatched by most every band I’ve seen live to date. I would like to note that this is my first time seeing them perform on a dedicated stage. Previously, I’ve seen them perform on the floor of a bar and on very low stages in small clubs. Raising them several feet over the crowd certainly adds to their presence. Especially Phil, who already stands at over 6 1/2 feet tall and swings and sways and sprays those of us in the front row with sweat.

I have yet to shoot a properly lit Caspian set. I’m hoping one day they can afford a lighting director to give them a visual boost that compliments their show. It’s frustrating trying to pass off these flat images as a indication of what their show really feels like. If you have the chance to experience their live show, do not sleep on it. Not only do they project power through sound, but the physical force they emit overpowering and beautiful. And when they close out the show with the closing track from last years Terita, “Sycamore” (members of Fang Island joined them for it last night!), the close out drum circle is one of the best end of shows to be had. I love those, dudes.

Red Sparowes closed out last night with an hour long set of slow instrumental rock with small hints of metal. I love their deep, sludgy, looming bass lines. And thankfully they played my favorite song of theirs, “The Great Leap Forward Poured Down Upon Us One Day Like A Mighty Storm, Suddenly And Furiously Blinding Our Senses” (holy hell what a title). They were very energetic at the beginning of their show, but faded as they neared the end. I was hoping for a big build up into something immense but was left feeling like they weren’t finished. Probably due to Hawthorne Theater’s hard curfew for the show.

The lighting challenge for their show, in addition to the red lights, was the projector playing clips from documentaries, fractals, and newspaper clippings on a small sheet behind the stage. Depending on where the band roamed on the stage, they were bisected by bright white light and deep reds and blacks – it was a tough shoot.

Many thanks to Ben and Caspian for being awesome dudes.

Click here to see photos from the rest of the show.

Related Posts

1. Gifts From Enola / Caspian / A Cosmonaut’s Ruin
2. Caspian
3. SXSW 2010