NOVEMBER 22nd, 2024
HAPPY F*CKING BIRTHDAY TOUR
Review by Dmitry Sukhnin
Photos by Polina Kulikovskikh
Photo Gallery: http://www.metaltitans.com/concertpics/blues-pills/

Sometimes people have music labels as the sources that are always on the radar. For me, Nuclear Blast was one of the labels that had bands I somehow always checked out, just because of this association. Blues Pills were an interesting discovery - obviously, not metal, but something I could not stop listening to because "High Class Woman" was the first song I bumped into. The discovery to me was also a sign of the growth of Nuclear Blast as a label from focusing on one style to now venturing into quality music over genre specific styles.

I almost missed the announcement of their concert in Oslo, but had been saved by a source like Songkick.

Having been to multiple gigs with completely terrible sound, I cannot help to admit how lucky I have lately been with fantastic acts that care about their sound and production. Daniel Romano is quality and the sound has not changed throughout the whole gig being great from the start. The opening act, Daniel Romano’s Outfit, look and sound like they have time-travelled right from the 60s. Their backdrop is a digital logo with pixels that looks like a retro image of an old Nintendo game. The drums are tight, Daniel masters one guitar with some light crunch and reverb (only one guitar, but why does the stage have a Marshall stack but also a little Fender combo both turned on?), bassist to the right and Carson McHone with tambourine to the left, - delivering backing vocals from both sides. Somehow, Carson’s tambourine cuts through the mix, despite not being mic'd up.

I like the spring reverb on Daniel’s vocals, and backing vocals make it sound as a complete unit together. Carson’s vocals are beautiful and she delivers perfect intervals. What I also like about the show is that there are precisely zero unnecessary breaks - all songs are delivered non-stop. No ridiculous small talk and mentions of “how special this place is”. In the middle of the gig, for one song Carson picks up a guitar and does the main vocal part. The mystery of a Fender combo is solved. There are some punk vibes closer to the set end, but then the band is back to retro psychedelic rock.

The only thing I do not enjoy that much is the venue’s lights - constantly making the audience blind.

Interestingly, the bands share the backline - same amps and drums. Blues Pills turn off Marshall during the layover, but then I figure out why: Zack Anderson’s Fractal FM3 is in the pedalboard sending two channels directly to the audience.

The lights go down and The Beatles song, "Birthday", plays as an intro. Blues Pills instantly, and I mean it, INSTANTLY, own the audience. They start with a very catchy Birthday song. Elin Larsson established direct eye contact with everyone in the venue from the very first second. She is everywhere, front, right, left, on the stage barricade shaking hands and making contact with people in the first several rows, making the band mingle with the crowd. Elin looks like a top manager of a bank, her charisma is unmatched - raspy, gritty, smoky soulful dynamic blues vocals - all of it ranging from tender and thin to cigar+whiskey growls, and maintaining perfect vibes from their recordings. Blues Pills have released a new album "Birthday" this year, I love it and you should get it too. Zack has a lot of guitar sounds and I like how Elin’s vocals with mild delay effect transit into guitar solos that get started with the same note.

I stand close to the mixer, and sadly there is not much bass in my spot. At some point Elin runs over the cable from the bassist’s pedalboard and the bass disappears. Luckily, the moment is not intense so, as she casually plugs it back, it feels very natural for the bass to come in right back to the new riff. Closer to the end Elin says that she has become a mom (see their "Birthday" album cover), and this is why she now has “mom outfit”.

After around an hour the band announces the last song but then almost immediately admits that the encore is coming. Bye Bye Birdy gets crazy - Elin slams into the audience for hugs and it feels like hanging out with your friend at some casual party. This has been the most interactive gig Scandinavia has ever seen, and I cannot wait to see Blues Pills live once again.