In front of a crowd of singing and dancing fans, Good Old War brought a happy, intimate vibe to the Bluebird. So intimate, in fact, that the band even stood on the floor of the club to play a few songs.
Opening act Family of the Year set the tone of the show with an upbeat seven-song set. The five-piece band was lively and perky, and while their music was nice to listen to, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Still, they complimented the other sounds of the evening well. The Belle Brigade's Barbara Gruska even came out into the club to dance along to a few songs.
The Belle Brigade took the stage next, bringing with them their unique combination of bluegrass and indie folk. This band's strongest element is the gorgeous, harmonic vocals of siblings Barbara and Ethan Gruska. These vocals are also where a lot of their bluegrass-inspired sound radiates from. Their voices beautiful to listen to, and showed strong especially during songs like "Sweet Louise" and "My Goodness," but too often during this show, their vocals were overshadowed by guitars and drums.
Their last song, "Losers," garnered a few cries of "yes" from the crowd as it was announced, and the duo sang with a haunting seriousness about the pitfalls of always trying to be a "winner." When they sang out that they "don't care about any of that shit no more," the crowd cheered in approval. "Losers" plays out like an anthem, and the band was able to go out with a bang on what is surely their strongest song.
Good Old War walked on stage to cheering fans who remained happy and singing throughout the entire set. Their mellow, folksy indie music was always upbeat, with strong drum beats and guitar solos keeping fans energetic and engaged.
Songs like "Better Weather" epitomized their happy vibe, but the band really demonstrated their talent when they slowed down for "Amazing Eyes," a song played entirely acoustic, letting the band's vocal harmony shine through. Like Belle Brigade, this band is most talented when they all sing together, and the crowd responded well to the results. Many times throughout the night, the voices of the crowd singing along almost created a set of background vocals for the band.
The best moment of the night was by far when the band decided that they wanted to get closer to the audience, and came down off of the stage and onto the floor below. They performed three songs, including a much-requested cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia," surrounded by a circle of fans, as a sea of cell phones shot up to document the spectacle. With only themselves and a guitar, their vocal talent carried this intimate set, and the excitement of the fans brought energy like none other.
Together, the three bands created a laid-back but energetic atmosphere at the Bluebird. Good Old War clearly has quite a few fans, judging from the numerous smiling, singing faces that cheered during their set, and for good reason. Their music is very user-friendly, and it's easy to just sit back and enjoy listening to it. This was a perfect Sunday night show, which just the right amount of energy to prepare listeners for the madness coming their way in the form of the World's Greatest College Weekend.
Post and photography by Myrydd Wells
