At the House of Blues Dallas on Saturday Oct 13th, Grouplove performed to a sold out crowd, and I was fortunate enough to have a front row view. This breakout band had a homey stage setup that consisted of a red velvet backdrop, tons of glass spheres, random table lamps, and a great synchronized light show. The hour long set started off with their newest song out on the radio waves “Itchin on a Photograph.” Christian Zucconi, who provides a majority of the vocals, was all about comfort in his red and black flannel bathrobe. Hanna Cooper, also a vocalist, looked fresh in a great dress, but also ready to bounce in her bright red kicks. Andrew Wesson was sporting what he referred to as “Hanna’s weird giraffe shirt,” but I must say I was pretty partial to it! Ryan Rabin drummed his heart out, and of course this free spirited ensemble would not be complete without Sean Gadd and his signature hat and hair.
The last time this group played the DFW was almost a year ago, and it was at the very small Prophet Bar in Deep Ellum. They were clearly grateful and humbled by the increase in venue and the loving support of the packed house. Comments were made throughout the night about how amazing the energy from the crowd was and how this was the best show of the tour so far. This was my first time to see them live. I have not heard their album “Never Trust a Happy Song” in its entirety, but I was completely swept up in their catchy beats and the sheer energy and joy coming off the stage. This band was only formed a mere three years ago, and this is their first full tour as the headlining band. But that was absolutely insignificant when you take into account the cohesiveness of this group’s stage presence. My absolute favorite thing about this show was this band was so blatantly a group of random talented people who met and found they had chemistry together and ran with it. Each one performed lead vocals at some point in the show. The expressions of each one never had the look of concentration or focus that some maintain while demonstrating their craft. This show was a ride that they were taking as each second just like the crowd. It was not musical technique at perfection, but a joy ride that they couldn’t wait to share.
Now, to give credit to the guys behind the scenes of this show, the lighting was great. The synchronicity with the music was spot on which also really played a role in creating the atmosphere of this band’s performance. After about 45 minutes, the band ended on a crazy beat pumping song, leaving the crowd chanting for their encore. Of course, with only a few minutes of an empty stage, the group came bounding back on for what actually ended up having the feel of a mini show of its own. It included their most popular song to date “Tongue Tied” as well as a lovely rendition of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”
I highly recommend trying to catch this group live if you are looking for a happy and jumping show. They will be returning to the DFW area in December as one of the acts performing at 102.1 The Edge’s Annual “How the Edge Stole Christmas.”
Gallery of 40 photos from the show:
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Review and Photos by Reanna Streater-Nunn
lostinreviewsblog.wordpress.com 
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