REVIEW: City On Down @ Middle East Corner 11/05

By Allie Antonevich

On Monday, Nov. 5, South Carolina-based band City On Down performed at the Middle East Corner/Bakery. Unassuming in appearance and explosive in sound, the four-man group arrived ready to perform.

The alternative rock/synth pop band hails from Charleston, and is fairly new to the music scene. The band was founded in 2016 and is comprised of Greg Keys (last name is aptly appropriate, as he is lead vocals and piano), Ian Giancursio (drums/back-up vocals), Robert Corrigan (bass), and Alden Sayre (lead guitar). City On Down, as explained to the audience by Keys, is not trying to be ordinary. They want their music to blend original instrumentation with electronic sounds, and their creations seem to be their lifeline.

The Middle East Corner is an interesting place to watch a show, because the stage is quite literally in the corner of a long, narrow room. The venue doubles as a restaurant, so I sat cross-legged on the side at a table, absorbing the sound and only 5 feet away from the lead vocalist. As someone who loves to observe people’s smaller movements, I learned more about the band through their actions rather than the songs themselves.

The band released their first EP and their most popular single to date “All on You” in 2017. Their five-track EP, Used to Be Young, was released in April 2018, and the band sang mostly originals with a few covers thrown in.

After setting up their own equipment, and Keys warming up his voice with a few covers, the band launched into their song “Sunday Rain,” which features charming lyrics about a girl. Keys had a smile on his face the entire time, his feet dancing underneath the keyboard stand, and hair wild. He was often looking over to the other members, as if to check in and ask to see if all was well.

Keys then took a moment to introduce the band and himself. Even though he’s lead vocalist, he also assumes the leader of the band. Throughout the night the members looked on to him–understandably so, because his charisma and confidence was evident. He explained that their music is a summation of “everything we’ve been through…and we’re trying not to settle for the 9 to 5.”

As much as the performance was for the audience, it was also for the band. They clearly were enjoying themselves, and often escaped into their own worlds of performance. Keys’s head was down for some of the show, his fingers intricately finding the right spot on the keys, and Sayre would leave his spot on stage to play his solo parts, his teeth biting down on his bottom lip.

The group played “Toxic,” one of their first songs written as a band. The song is impressively clean and well-blended, including a piano-drum heavy combination for a solo that shouldn’t work, but does. They transitioned smoothly into a cover of the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” and also did their own interpretation of Bastille’s “Pompeii,” mixing it with Post Malone’s “Better Now.” A lot of City On Down is drawing on what’s already there in terms of songs and talent.

The band ended the show with their most popular anthem, “All on You.” It blends synths with piano, and serves as a pop anthem with no lyrical depth, but a catchy hook. The audience, clutching their beers and taking photos of the band, chanted for an encore of the song once again. Keys laughed and left his spot at the keyboard and said, “til next time”, and went to greet fans in the audience.