Chapman University // Orange County, CA // Sept. 29, 2009
It’s not just another typical Tuesday night at Chapman University. Right in front of the campus radio station, in the basement of the most central dorm building, the Long Beach band We Barbarians are preparing to play an hour-long set in lieu of the usual Tuesday night open mic. As students wander in, the trio starts off their set with a mellow, keyboard-strong track, “White,” revealing hints of The Verve and Radiohead as influences.
The crowd slowly grows and the music swells accordingly. Live, We Barbarians present an entrancing and heavy sound, which bleeds each song into the next. The men are shy and hardly face the audience as they each have a habit of closing their eyes and melting into their instrument. From here, it's hard to tell which song is which. Even with the research I did on their MySpace, their music sounds different live. It is a more natural and organic sound that the band produces and I speculate that they add new elements in the show; whatever happens right at that moment. It is very calming show and well-performed. It's good to play college shows because the biggest benefit is gathering new fans. Students who don’t even know that there is a show going on become supporters of the band, due to a good experience and enticing music. We Barbarians know this fact, and easily capitalize on their wealth of interested students and intimate audience.
-Review and photos by Sasha Patpatia
www.myspace.com/webarbarians
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