REVIEW: half•alive @ Paradise Rock Club 10/3
By Jarrad Levy
In their second show in Boston in less than a year, half•alive once again wowed their audience, but this time left me in a state of confusion.
half•alive is a really interesting band. They blend indie, pop, and some elements of rap music to make a concoction that is truly enjoyable for a listener and almost entirely unique in the music scene. Last time the band came to Boston, they did not even have a full album out, playing for only an hour after scraping together a setlist of singles, unreleased songs, and covers. It was exciting to be at a show where I could truly feel like something was being created and growing in front of me. This time around, the band had a full album, a tour under their belts, and still only played for an hour. While I certainly agree that quality is more important than quantity, an hour long concert is simply too short when the average set length of many artists borders double what half alive played.
Aside from the disappointing set length, half•alive killed it. They sound fantastic live, with lead singer Josh Taylor sounding nearly identical to the band’s studio releases. While one could tell that he was not the most comfortable interacting with the crowd, he certainly brought it in terms of a live vocal performance and looked to be genuinely enjoying himself. For such a young band, I expect them to grow more comfortable on stage with time.
The setlist for the show was nothing out of the ordinary, drawing from their new album Now, Not Yet and their EP, 3. Each song felt unique and exciting, but the band’s hit singles, “arrow” and “still feel.” were the absolute highlights, being so bouncy and electrifying that each and every crowd member found themselves dancing without any leadership from Taylor and co. whatsoever.
While the allure of half•alive is their fantastic music, it is not the highlight of their shows. Unlike any other artist I’ve seen, the band employs stage dancers that throughout the whole concert contorted their bodies along with Taylor in order to wow the audience in a way that to me has only been seen the last time I saw the band. Truly, the dancing in the show did a fantastic job of improving the atmosphere of the show and creating a warm, yet electric and energetic feeling that pervaded throughout the length of the set.
Truly, despite the disappointing length of half•alive’s set, they once again proved why they are a band to watch as they continue to grow and evolve. While they are already one of the most exciting groups going right now, they have so much room to grow and are so unique that if they keep at what they’re doing it wouldn’t be shocking to see them return to Boston one day at the TD Garden.