With the mood perfectly set by their beautiful support band Emilie & Ogden, Half Moon Run was destined to be an amazing gig right from the off.
As the lights came up on the band to a very enthusiastic crowd and the amazing new sound of Turn Your Love, the upbeat yet ethereal beauty of Half Moon Run hit you right in the face. With a good mixture of songs from their newest album Sun Leads Me On, and some of their older favourites, seeing these guys live somehow made me love them even more than I thought was possible. It isn’t often that you’ll find a band that’s even better live than they are on CD, especially with the synth type sounds that Half Moon Run are so freakin’ awesome at, but they smashed it. No question.
And the pure talent in that band! I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Artist play so many instruments in the same night. Out of the four members of the band (two drummers and two guitarists), all of them had keyboards. All of them! Conner Molander was just a walking instrument at one point; falling to his knees and head banging with his guitar and synth solos, as well as whipping out a harmonica, some kind of banjo… Man I lost count. And those harmonies man, the harmonies. I will tell you one thing, and it’s that every single one of the guys in that band can sing. Seriously. Like, wow.
Shooting out some brilliant beats mid-show like Call Me in the Afternoon and Need it, anyone at that gig who hadn’t heard much of Half Moon Run before definitely came away with a new band in their Top Ten. Managing to have a chilled out, surreal vibe whilst still having tribal-esque drumming and virtuosic guitar riffs is not a feat that’s easily achieved, and they somehow make it look as natural as breathing. And if that wasn’t enough for you, then their joint encore with Emilie & Ogden of I Shall be Released by The Band would have sold you down to your last penny. It was incredible, trust me.
If you haven’t seen Half Moon Run live before, even if you’ve barely heard of them, do it. The ambience and pure musical talent of this band is simply unmissable.
I promise you won’t regret it.
Set List
Turn Your Love I Can’t Figure Out What’s Going On Nerve Unofferable It Works Itself Out Hands in the Garden Call Me in the Afternoon Drug You Need It Devil May Care Everybody Wants Sun Leads Me On The Debt She Wants to Know Consider Yourself Trust Full Circle (Encore) I Shall Be Released by The Band (Encore with Emilie & Ogden)
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