Colony House w/ Knox Hamilton
The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
03.31.17
After dropping singles for six months to tease the release of their sophomore album, indie-rockers Colony House finally dropped Only the Lonely in January, followed by a tour to support the album. The stopped at The Crocodile in Seattle and rocked the sold out crowd.
Just as the crowd started grumbling about the 50’s music blasting through the venue, Knox Hamilton took the stage. They didn’t say much at first, just launched into the first shockingly loud chords of “Back Porch” to kick off their set. That kind of start was pretty surprising in the best way, and the rest of their set continued with the same feeling. Those first songs were catchy, fun, and exciting. They sounded (and even looked) a lot like a more alt-rock Band of Horses, and it was working perfectly for them.
After the first four thrilling songs of the set, the band took the time to introduce themselves, explaining how shocked they were to see Seattle get so into their set. Lead singer, Bradley Pierce, explained that now that the band was all sweaty and out of breath, it was time to slow down with “The Heights,” the title track of their album. The song is simply lovely, a perfect acoustic love song that almost hurt to see performed because of all the feeling in it. Knox Hamilton capped off their set with some more alt-rock goodness that got everyone dancing happily and a few dedicated fans singing along with passion.
Then all too quickly, we were all subjected to another 45 minutes of the 50’s mix before one track suddenly started to skip, eventually jumping into the intro for Colony House’s opening track as they ran on stage. One thing that Colony House chose to do for their live performance was add extended or alternative endings to most of their songs.
They would play the track like it’s recorded, they would come to the end, everyone would scream, cheer, and clap, and then just when they should be starting the next track, they would go back and sing another chorus or verse for the song they just finished. Sometimes it was pretty similar to the original, and sometimes they would change things up a bit and maybe sing it slower or with just one instrument. It was a bit of an odd thing to do, especially as the night carried on and they continued with it, but it was actually pretty cool to see. It was interesting to hear some of these great songs in new ways, more extended, or even just a bit of it again.
The night really picked up with the iconic opening to “You & I,” as everyone yelled the guitar parts, mimed the drum pattern, and sang the lyrics of one of the earliest singles the band released. The rest of the night was a wonderful mix of their two albums that lacked any dull moments. Exciting songs were partied to, and slower ones were sung soulfully by the band and crowd alike. And of course, what better way to end than with “You Know it.” Playfully performing their closing song, the band even changed the lyrics to “I’m sorry Seattle I just got to go home to my baby, because she’s holding it down. But we’ll be back before you know, you know it.”
Colony House’s Only the Lonely tour stop in Seattle was nothing short of fantastic. Knox Hamilton was thoroughly impressive with their opening set, creating the perfect short little mix of songs, undoubtedly ready for their own headlining tour. Then Colony House closed out the night with a wonderful collection of their best tracks. They gave an energetic performance that summed up exactly what they’re all about: friends, family, and fun times.
Review by Lulu Dawson
Photos by Phillip Johnson
Colony House
Knox Hamilton
