DALLAS, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 14TH 2023

Picture this:
The year is 2020. It’s peak-pandemic times, and you’re at home, sitting on the couch watching Netflix… the new season of Outer Banks, to be exact. You hear the true summer anthem of this coming-of-age series blaring from your TV screen - the 2014 classic “Left Hand Free” by English indie rock band, alt-J. This soulful, raw track fills the room and leaves you, the listener, wanting more of alt-J’s groovy sound. You imagine what it would be like to be running on the beaches of a coastal town in North Carolina, a breeze blowing through your hair. The isolation of the pandemic is escaped for a fleeting moment as you’re transported to a cinematic dimension that eases any present worries. That’s the power of music - isn’t it beautiful?

Suddenly, you’re transported back to 2013 hearing that same artist for the first time, in a contemporary dance class as a teenager, learning choreography to “Breezeblocks”. The chilling lyrics and aching storyline are conveyed through every step, turn and pose you make. The juxtaposition of an upbeat song with haunting lyrics is far too advanced for your younger self to grasp, but music speaks, and you dance anyways.

Fast forward ten years later to 2023 and you’re standing in a sold out pit, for the second night of alt-J’s show at the House of Blues in Dallas, Texas. Dallas was the second stop on their “An Awesome Wave - Celebrating 10 Years” tour, following two back-to-back nights in Austin. Fans press against the barricade, some closing their eyes to fully focus on the twangy, unique melodies Joe Newman croons. Dark blue stage lighting rises and you’re overwhelmed with emotion. There’s a raw, unfiltered quality to each song on the set list, especially through the gritty guitar riffs, echoing drum beats and eclectic keyboard notes.