The Epochs : Live

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/theepochsfebruary12.jpg" alt=" " />The Epochs braved the harsh weather to rock a strong crowd at Mercury Lounge....

  The Brooklyn-based four-piece was playing the February 12th one-off in Manhattan in the run-up to next week’s release of their self-titled record (QRO review).  And, despite the rain, snow, sleet, and hail that were all coming down, Mercury (QRO venue review) saw a healthy turnout – especially for a Tuesday night.  The set might have been a bit short, but The Epochs delivered on quality.

Even though this was basically a ‘pre-release gig’, The Epochs didn’t hesitate from playing some material not from the record, leading off with an unfamiliar indie-dance-tronic, disco-for-the-twenty-first-century number.  And in the middle of the set, the group dropped a new one (name mumbled indecipherably); there was an urgency to guitarist Hays Holiday’s vocals, one that was an interesting match with brother Ryan’s haunting keys and the staccato marching drums of drummer Kotchy.  Both pieces fit well into the otherwise Epochs line-up.

However, it was still a night for the new record, and the only complaint one might have had was that there wasn’t more Epochs.  At only thirty-five minutes, the set was only able to hit up under half of the tracks from the record, unfortunately missing such excellent pieces as “Thunder and Lightning”, “Love Complete”, and “Tug of War”.  When Hays announced they were going into their last song, some (fairly drunk) fans shouted for five more, and they weren’t wrong.

But what The Epochs did bring, they brought.  The soft, acoustic “Head in the Fire” was turned into an expansive electronic piece, without losing its touch. The high beats of “Opposite Sides” became more intricate, live.  “Picture of the Sun” warmed up the cold night with its echoing brightness.  The night’s pinnacle was probably the amazing “Mouths to Feed”; the encompassing song rocked that much harder at Mercury.  However, the track most improved-upon from The Epochs had to be (night and record) finisher “Giving Tree”; the subdued, but never relaxed, number really carried the crowd home.

The Epochs playing “Mouths to Feed” live @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY:

The Epochs are hitting up a few D.C. dates after The Epochs comes out, before going to the Mid-West in April.  Hopefully the weather will be better and the sets will be longer.  But other than that, there’s not much more one could ask for.

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Concert Reviews
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