The Band Camino with Bad Suns and The Wldlfe
Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
Louisville, KY
October 17th, 2023
On October 17th, popular indie rock band The Band Camino brought their Screaming In The Dark Tour, in support of their recent album The Dark, to Paristown Hall to a nearly sold out crowd! Ahead of doors opening, there was a long and winding line of fans waiting to get inside the venue to secure their best spot, whether at the barricade, elsewhere on the floor, or in the balcony, and the energy was electric. Since forming in 2015, the band has been steadily been growing their fan base and have garnered one that is passionate, and as evident this evening, ready to sing and dance along to each song. This tour had a fun and different stage production, with the platform for the drums, video walls , and even their instruments becoming glow in the dark under black light, which made for a fun and funky visual experience. Opening the show this evening was Indianapolis-based indie/alternative pop band The Wldlfe. Having released several albums since 2017, they performed a set list that included “Lonely”, “Close To You”, and “Psycho (When I Wake Up)”, as well as their hit song “All My Friends”, which saw the crowd singing along at the top of their lungs! “We are The Wldlfe from Indianapolis! How many of you have seen us before?”, announced singer Jansen Hogan, to which many in the crowd cheered. “Sick! We’re going to need you all to sing as loud as possible!”. He later went onto say how this was their first time in Louisville and that they were going to play as many songs as they could this evening, going on to perform a 9-song set. Towards the end of their set they performed “Waterfalls (2023 version)”, with Hogan saying they had just put out this new version of this song the previous Friday, so many in the crowd may not have heard it yet! They put on a great set and got the crowd ready for the evening ahead!
Next up was California indie rock band Bad Suns. Opening their set with “Disappear Here”, “Swimming In The Moonlight”, and “Dancing on Quicksand”, from 2014’s Language & Perspective and 2016’s Disappear Here, they performed a wide a array of tracks that spanned their catalog of albums and singles. A few songs into their set, singer Christo Bowman, clad in black leather pants and a black leather jacket, asked the crowd how everyone was doing this evening and prefacing the next song by saying “This song is about cutting everything out of your life that isn’t serving you”. The band then launched into “The One I Used To Love”. He later said “This is our 2nd time playing in Louisville. It feels like the early stages of dating where I feel like we are still getting to know each other, but so far so good! We’re going to play some more music for you tonight!”. In addition to their original music, the band also performed a fun cover of “Lovefool” by The Cardigans, which had everyone singing and dancing along. Near the end of the set, Bowman announced that “We just released thi9s song a week ago. If you don’t know the words, which you probably don’t, just dance! It’s called “Astral Plans””! Ending their set with “Daft Pretty Boys”, they had the crowd in high spirits!
Closing out the evening was The Band Camino, who walked out on a stage awash in black lights that made the stage props and instruments glow. Starting the set with “Afraid Of The Dark”, “1 Last Cigarette”, and “Honest”, the band has such a passionate fan base that saw everyone here this evening singing their hearts out from the first note. It was hard to not bask in the fun and loving energy that was bouncing between the band and the fans. Early on singer Spencer Stewart announced that he had lost his voice a few shows ago and is slowly getting it back but may not talk as much between songs as normal. He then told everyone that they would have to sing along as loud as they could, to which they happily obliged. He later told the crowd “We have played shows in Louisville before! How many of you have seen us? Thanks for sticking with us! Ya’ll seem to know the songs!”. Singing duties bounced back and forth between Stewart and guitarist/keyboardist Jeffery Jordan, who, along with drummer Garrison Burgess, were having a great time on stage with each other and engaging with the crowd. At about the mid-point of the set, Stewart told the crowd “We try to write a lot of songs on the tour bus and never have much luck. They often turn into joke songs, and this next song started out as a joke song but turned into a real song. It’s the only song we’ve ever successfully written on a tour bus! It’s called “See You Later””. Stewart and Jordan then did a short acoustic, more intimate set of songs that included “The Black and White”, “Something To Hold Onto”, “Fool Of Myself”, and a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Back To December”, followed by taking a couple of shots before resuming their normal, full-band set! “Louisville! Here’s to you!” they said. It was a really nice and intimate moment for the fans to hear stripped back versions of select songs. The band is doing this in every city, with different songs each night. During a fun moment, the drummer announced that it was his wife’s birthday, pointing her out in the balcony and having everyone sing “Happy Birthday” to her! Nearing the end of the set, Stewart thanked everyone for coming out on a Tuesday night and singing along and bringing the energy. Ending the set with “See Through”, the band left the stage before coming out for a 3-song encore! I have no doubt that everyone is awaiting their next Louisville show!
The Wldlfe
Bad Suns
The Band Camino
