There are so many things that can go into a successful show but for me it all comes down to the feeling a band gives off. The band might sound completely perfect but if there is no emotion it’s lost. The club might be packed to the brim but if the dynamic between the band and crowd is lacking it’s meaningless. So, that brings us to a boring Wednesday night in Columbia, SC. Only two bands are playing and when the opening local band finishes they take the majority of the crowd with them. That leaves Durham band Red Collar left to play to only a handful of people. Two things can happen here. The band gets bummed about it and that shows up in their performance or they can embrace the intimacy and put on a great show. Fortunately for those in attendance, Red Collar embraced the presence of the few remaining souls.
Before I jump in here, I should preface this show review by saying that Red Collar’s Pilgrim received a pretty mediocre album review on SAL a while back. The overwhelming consensus that I heard was that the band’s live show was to be experienced though. So, when I saw the band was heading through town I felt an obligation to come check them out. Let’s just say I was not disappointed. Even to such a small crowd you could feel the exhilaration the band has when they play. It’s like they have been waiting for this moment all day and seeing that heartfelt energy up on stage creates something magical. This is something they love and you can tell that quite clearly from the smiles plastered on their faces as they play.
Much of the material the band played was from Pilgrim of course. There are some amazing songs on the album and the band indulged the sparse crowd with many of them including the title track, “Stay”, “Used Guitars” and “Radio On”. Not to mention the band threw in a few verses of The Gaslight Anthem’s “The 59 Sound” at one point which was humorous to say the least. As far as meteoric rises for bands goes, The Gaslight Anthem is second to none but as I was watching Red Collar play I could certainly see something similar happening with them. There are some definite similarities between the two bands as well as a few others that caught me off guard. When the band decides to slow things down and gets a bit more atmospheric they really recall the Constantines and their brand of rustic indie rock.
All in all, this was a great show and one I’m glad I was able to attend. Had the album review not been written I would have never heard from so many people how great the band was live. And I probably would not have come out for the show at all. So bands, there you go, lesson learned…any press IS good press. One thing is for sure, Red Collar won me over and these guys won’t be playing barren bars for too much longer.
Red Room Cinema /
