Gratitude bring it backwards
Gratitude are one of those bands who love what they do so much so that you can't help but be taken aback by it when they play; in a venue such as the Barfly throughout material familiar from the record and a few wonderful, unforgettable cover songs they exude a passion which easily resonated through the crowd of varied age, all of whom were consistently mouthing along the words to Jonah Mantrangas' lyrics. Not as if programmed or shoved down their throats, but as if they were burned into their mind by previous soaring live performances such as the one they provided tonight.
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The band has an amiable presence on stage constantly pausing for heartfelt interaction all the while remaining fun and keeping the night moving along, not dragging at any point. The soaring melodies and solid performances by all band members evoke thought of a time where the chorus was not the most important part of a song but where the entire message and overall performance value mattered. These songs are emotional but I'd liken their performance to that of bands of a much more energetic driving possession than that of those who usually dominate the emo-rock genre, they actually seem to find the balance of taking themselves seriously enough to be genuine and still manage to show that they really do have fun playing together and interacting with a crowd, one in this case that was as much into them as they into it. The pace was very consistent in the set list, an element that is also present in their album track list. This band know how to please their fans tremendously well.
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The highlights included the guilty pleasure cover songs that ended the evening, one of which was a heavily rocking rendition of Kelly Clarkson's 'Since U Been Gone'. A track I never expected anyone to cover, let alone Gratitude, which they pulled off extremely well and it also progressed to show their versatility as musicians, a quality they consistently presented throughout the night, creating a thoroughly enjoyable environment for all who were present. Gratitude are a band who are very different in a live setting, their songs seem to take on a new life as they are preformed and as they displayed at this show, creating a sound that may not come across on CD as well as it does live. What makes up Gratitude is presence, solid song writing and musicianship, they displayed all aspects of this tonight very well.
To view all photos taken during this set click here. There are 36 available.