Smouse
Last updated on July 30th, 2019 at 10:06 am
I’m convinced Lord Huron sounds better outdoors. Having seen them perform at Red Rocks Amphitheater earlier this year, there’s something about Ben Schneiders’ singing amongst the setting sun that emotionally connects us to their music. It makes sense when the band name is inspired by Lake Huron in Michigan, where Ben grew up visiting and spending evenings playing music around the campfire.
Their lyrics are also chalked full of outdoor visuals. Lighting and thunder, rivers and mountains, deserts and oceans, all forces of nature pulling us back around their virtual campfire. Surly Brewing‘s Festival Field provided a perfect campground last night for a community of campers.
BULLY
Taking the stage first was Nashville formed and Minnesotan-fronted band Bully. Native Alicia Bognanno brought her ’90s alt-rock revivalists group to our attention by starting off the set with “Brainfreeze”. Scruffy guitars, driving drums, and angst-filled lyrics cut through the crowd. Influences of grunge and punk immediately mixed together as Alicia’s voice led a collage of confessional whispers and howling statements.
“Running” and “I Remember” had the crowd in front jumping along to the highly energized band. Knowing that Bully recorded their first album in Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio studio, you can hear the influences of his trademark sound scattered among the songs.
It was “Trying” that gave us a slower beat and pulled in a larger attention from the crowd. A well-crafted rock song that coaxes us through the verses, then grinds us through the dynamic chorus, it showcased the band perfectly. The crowd surged forward and swayed along. They ended the set with their first single, “Milkman,” and as it was their most known song, the crowd sang along and roared.
I got this feelin’, makes me wanna run
I got the feelin’
After the set I watched Alicia run back out on stage to pull the set-list for a dedicated fan. Having seen them perform at First Avenue a few years back, she came just for Bully. Glowing, and obviously proud of the band’s popularity growth, she shared her love of their music.
There’s a contagious feeling to Bully that obviously is working. A throwback to grunge, 90’s rock, and modern raw vocals, they bring a dynamic that appeals to all ages. Alicia shared that she’ll be back soon to track their 3rd album at Pachyderm Studios here in Minnesota.
Watching them tread in the footsteps of bands like Nirvana, PJ Harvey, and Soul Asylum, I have to believe their next album will push them even farther along.
LORD HURON
The land of 10,000 lakes welcomed the band of 10,000 likes when they took the stage. The backdrop of the set was lined with stained-glass window shaped video panels. Throughout the evening they provided us with colored textures, space with stars, and scenes of filtered kaleidoscopes of color. With the Vide Noir symbol affixed above them, it’s fitting a band with “Lord” in the title could so easily blend to the church-like inspired set.
They opened with “Love Like Ghosts”, spotlighting Ben Schneider playing guitar and singing, keeping us held in anticipation for the rest of the band to drop in. By the time they rolled into “Time to Run”, the audience was engaged and joyously drinking along. The harmonies and oh’s of Lord Huron washed over the sold out field. Followed by “Hurricane” and the surfer vibe song “The World Ender”, the first third of their set felt polished and creatively planned out. Slowing it down for “The Ghost on the Shore”, the spirit of the song matched perfectly as the sun almost dipped down into the earth.
By the 12th song in the set, “The Birds Are Singing At Night”, communion was in front of us. The song slowly glides through a story of love and life we live, leaving an impact. It built until their keyboardists gathered up an electric guitar and jammed center stage. It was the pinnacle of their growl and fevered energy that had the audience clamoring after the song.
“You don’t need to lie, I know it will
Because the darkness doesn’t need the light
All the young are getting old and the summer is cold,
And all the birds have been singing at night”
As darkness finally took over, the Witch’s Hat Tower brimmed with lights in the distance. Their apropos titled song, “Ends of the Earth”, played as the audience held up their phones, trying to capture a personal small spark of the song. It looked and felt like thousands of people catching fireflies in the dusklight. It also pulled me back to the Hyundia commercial where the song is used. In it, people embark into nature to camp and explore the great outdoors. Cleverly partnered, Lord Huron has ingrained their music into the outdoors. Songs that are all carved together with mountains, stars, harvest moons, and forests, they are designed to bring us back around a campfire. The Surly Brewing field was filled with little campfires of people telling stories and celebrating music.
Ending their encore with the sweet ohs of “The Night We Met”, the romantic hopes of Lord Huron filled the crowd with love and comfort. The journey of the 2-hour set provided messages of hope, unrequited love, and how truly small we are in this world. These themes give the band, and their music, an almost ancient undertone, one where we live in the moment but keep our lessons in the past.
“I am not the only traveler
Who has not repaid his debt
I’ve been searching for a trail to follow again
Take me back to the night we met”
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