CLICK HERE FOR MORE LUCK REUNION 2018 COVERAGE!
LUCK, TX- For most of our SXSW and Luck Reunion artist coverage, we’ll keep it relatively short and sweet. We have over 80 artists to cover, so cut us some slack! đ We’ll basically be formatting each post into two parts: (1) Why our contributor wanted to see this act and (2) what our contributor thought of the performance”. Easy peasy. If you want to learn more about the act, make sure you click through to their social media links to get in the know. You won’t be disappointed!
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Why I Wanted To See Hop Along: I’m a big fan of Hop Along’s lead singer Frances Quinlan. The music that she writes is everything I love about indie rock. It’s typically lo-fi, real punky and oh-so introspective. She’s unafraid to reveal all of her personal emotions in her lyrics and its that type of songwriting that really leaves an impression on my senses. Plus, for petite woman, she sure can growl and yell with the best of them.
Their appearance at Luck Reunion came ahead of the release of the latest album “Bark Your Head Off, Dog” (which was released earlier this month on April 6th). Getting the change to hear a few new songs was definitely a major draw for me.
What I Thought Of Hop Along’s Performance: As expected, and to my delight, five of the eight song that they performed were off the new album. This being my first time I heard the songs, I really just let their musical aesthetic and Frances intense emotional delivery wash over me. I’d get to the lyrics later when the album came out.
The music they played had the same kind of gusto and impetus that I remember from the last time I saw them live a couple years ago, and I was glad to hear that they haven’t veered too far away from the sound that endeared them to me. And they still performed with a ferocity that really drives the music they perform, a kind of intensity that envelopes you and makes you lose track of time. By the time they closed their set with their most popular song “Tibetan Pop Stars” and the “Prior Things” (the last track of their latest album), you set there telling yourself, “Damn, it’s over already?”
In a rather revealing moment for me, after I’ve become fully engrossed by Frances powerful performance, Frances addressed the crowd and quietly noted how many beautiful people were at the festival and suggested how that intimated her a bit. There was a bit of irony in the moment for me, as here’s this woman who’s not afraid of pouring her heart out and revealing herself through her lyrics (read the lyrics to “Waitress“) and she’s still in the present letting her insecurities get the get best of her. That small moment was so humanizing and just made me appreciate how truly genuine Frances’ music was. It wouldn’t have surprised me if she wrote about that feeling in another song. We shall see.
Follow Hop Along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LUCK REUNION 2018 COVERAGE!
LIVE CLIPS
Hop Along at Luck Reunion 3/15/18. Thoughts and photos coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/Qf8fTGHrwC
â Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) April 16, 2018
Hop Along at Luck Reunion 3/15/18. Thoughts and photos coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/EkSHTodE7n
â Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) April 16, 2018
