Live Review: Colony House - Teragram Ballroom, Los Angeles 28/02/2020
Coming out the silence after putting out their third studio album, Colony House was ready to embark on their US Leave What’s Lost Behind tour, stopping at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles for a beautiful night of music.
The night opened with Tyson Motsenbocker, a lovely intro into the evening with his soft acoustic tunes and charismatic personality. His set was really endearing, feeling very wholesome and warm the whole way through. His songs are cute, with a slower pace that’s easy to follow, and his perfect indie-alt voice to accompany it. He talked about the stories behind his songs, and how his religious beliefs drove some of his work, making his set feel far more intimate, like a conversation between friends.
Once Colony House took the stage, the energy in the room skyrocketed. They opened with “Looking for Some Light,” the title track off the band’s latest release, Leave What’s Lost Behind, which they released at the end of January. The song was a perfect way to start off. With a slow build and dramatic intro to the chorus, the track sounds dreamy and airy, perfectly paired with the bright yellow lights on stage that left the performers looking like literal angels. Fans shouted along with the words, excited by the energy and the set to come.
The setlist was a great mix—showing off a lot of their new album, but also mixing in the old classics well. Caleb Chapman, the band’s frontman, took time to talk about how this specific album was like a journal to them, a result of their last years touring and working on music, and was about the things they really wanted to talk about. And the night came across exactly that way. He mentioned how it comes off cheesy to call their fans their family, but in this case he really felt like that’s how it was. When he explained all that too, it was clear that it was true. The whole crowd looked back at the band in awe with so much love, literally shouting back at Caleb to have a conversation with him. Similar to Tyson’s energy, the night felt casual and intimate, not like a highly-produced and very technical arena show.
As an older Colony House fan, “2:20” was definitely the song I was looking forward to the most. Showing off their more hard rock side, the song is killer through headphones, but takes a new energy when they play it live—something I was looking forward to experiencing again. The intro started, the crowd recognized the tune and screamed, and then suddenly everything stopped. “I see a sign,” said Caleb, “and it says ‘it’s my dream to play 2:20 with you,’ so if that’s true, I guess you better get up here.” Caleb pulled a fan on stage and threw his guitar over him. The band took a minute to make sure the fan was on the same page as them, and he killed the guitar intro. Caleb took time to sing and interact with the crowd while the fan played the backing instrumental for him, and the energy was unmatched.
Talking about fan love and how close the fanbase is to the band always seems cheesy, as acknowledged earlier. But in the case of Colony House, there’s really no other way to describe it. The band clearly cares endlessly about their fanbase/“family,” sharing their most intimate thoughts in their songs, and doing everything they can to make the show all it could be.
Words and Photography by Lulu Dawson