Off the release of their sophomore album, Only the Lonely, Colony House is on a headlining tour in support of the album. Not knowing what to expect, I was left breathless after their show at Portland's Doug Fir Lounge.
The Doug Fir Lounge is one of my favorite venues in Portland. The concert venue is located in the basement of a restaurant/bar, and is complete with a full bar in the back which overlooks the stage. With a capacity of roughly 300, this beautiful venue creates an intimate setting, complimentary and perfect for the shows they host. Colony House was no exception.
Visually, the show was stunning. The band was surrounded and silhouetted by lights, and behind them stood a large LED screen that took up the entire stage. Notable examples of images displayed on the screen were the final scene from the movie “Hook”, a 3 minute and 20 second countdown for their song “3:20,” and a picture of a hawk.
What was most impressive was the actual performance given by Colony House. The band is fronted by two brothers, Caleb and Will Chapman (Vocals/Guitar, and Drums), who have a powerful connection that is obvious onstage; however, the entire band has incredible chemistry with each other. Near the end of the set, Caleb takes an acoustic guitar for a solo performance of "Moving Forward." Before starting the song, he discusses the song's origin story and comments on the music he and Will have been making together all their lives. The song originated as a 10 second voice memo that Will pushed Caleb to write overnight. During the show Caleb notes, "If it's alright with you, I'm going to play this song for you how I originally played it that day for the guys." Near the end of the song, Will joins in on drums, while the other two members (Scott and Parke) join Caleb and share a microphone to sing the final notes of the song.
Colony House, and the "Only The Lonely" Tour is a must see. See dates and get tickets from their website, here.
Shots from the show:
