MOURN
CRUEL SUMMER
SUMMER PEAKS
THE CHAPEL, SF
03 APRIL, 2015
Friday night in San Francisco saw the end to the first stateside jaunt of Barcelona's MOURN, a week long stint covering NY, Boston, and LA before winding up here. Their self-titled debut was released last fall in Europe on Sones, and came out this February on NYC's esteemed indie Captured Tracks. Opening duties for the evening were provided by Summer Peaks and Cruel Summer, both providing a welcome window into upcoming local bands. A decent crowd was already in place for Summer Peaks, always a good sign, and they warmed up over the course of their set, getting a great crowd reaction from "King Of The Road". Cruel Summer hit it from the word go, with their dual guitar interplay and harmonies threatening to steal the night. At times reminiscent of Montreal's No Joy, the songs from their self-titled EP were given an extra dimension live, and we'll be checking in on them again. For more on Cruel Summer, check out this report from At My Heels.
"Always leave 'em wanting more..." is the old adage that still applies, and Mourn was locked in. The quartet of guitarists Carla Pérez Vas and Jazz Rodríguez Bueno, along with their powerhouse rhythm section of Leia Rodríguez and Antonio Postius, started with an instrumental intro, and gathered steam from there. The Chapel, (on Valencia), with it's on-point sound and vaulted open space, was the perfect venue for the band. "Misery Factory" and "Otitis" were raging high points, but it was the final combo of "Jack" and "Silver Gold" that made the night, bringing together all the elements of what makes this band stand out, and ending with Antonio standing for the final beats, then flinging his sticks upward as the band departed, having given, on a number of levels, everything they had. In lieu of an encore, they emerged for a curtain call, admitting, "We have no more songs..." A charming moment from a band set up to deliver a whole lot more. We'll look forward to their return.
"Always leave 'em wanting more..." is the old adage that still applies, and Mourn was locked in. The quartet of guitarists Carla Pérez Vas and Jazz Rodríguez Bueno, along with their powerhouse rhythm section of Leia Rodríguez and Antonio Postius, started with an instrumental intro, and gathered steam from there. The Chapel, (on Valencia), with it's on-point sound and vaulted open space, was the perfect venue for the band. "Misery Factory" and "Otitis" were raging high points, but it was the final combo of "Jack" and "Silver Gold" that made the night, bringing together all the elements of what makes this band stand out, and ending with Antonio standing for the final beats, then flinging his sticks upward as the band departed, having given, on a number of levels, everything they had. In lieu of an encore, they emerged for a curtain call, admitting, "We have no more songs..." A charming moment from a band set up to deliver a whole lot more. We'll look forward to their return.
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| "We have no more songs..." |
...and, as a bonus, here's the band's own view of their tour:
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| Cruel Summer |
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| Summer Peaks |
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| Summer Peaks |
