Concert Review + Photos: Strawberry Girls US Tour

Photos and words by Samantha Skapin

Last week I got a chance to check out Strawberry Girls during their stop at Double Happiness in Columbus. They had a stacked lineup which included Belle Noire and Comrades as opening acts.

California natives Belle Noire brought an incredible amount of energy to Double Happiness for their set, fidget spinners and all. I’ve heard a couple of their songs previous to their set, so I was excited to hear more from these guys. Vocalist Joey Lancaster sounds as incredible as he does on their records, bringing raw vocals to songs such as “Sleep” off of their 2016 release, What It Means To Be. The band itself had wonderful stage presence, with band members Sergio Herrera and Mike Grijalva coming down from the stage to play in the crowd for multiple songs. Overall, these guys put on an incredible set so definitely check them out if you get the chance! Be sure to check out there newest release, What It Means To Be as well because it will give you all the feels.

Comrades was up next for the night, and after hearing from multiple people in the crowd how incredible these guys were, I was excited to check them out. With the mix of Laura McElroy’s light and melodic vocals and Ben Trussell’s gritty post hardcore vocals, I was hooked instantly. Comrades had an indescribable stage presence as a band where everything intertwined so beautifully that it was honestly incredible to witness. They played a lot off of their newest release,  Lone/Grey (which of course I had to check out after the show) playing songs such as “Dark Tongues, Part II” and “In the Whisper, In the Gale”. Keep an eye out for these guys because I have a feeling that Comrades is going to be a name you’re going to be hearing a lot soon, because it’s definitely one of the most genuine post hardcore bands I’ve heard in a long while. Be sure to check out Lone/Grey so you’re prepared when they take over, too.

Of course, last but not least, Strawberry Girls took the stage, and the crowd at Double Happiness was of course pumped. With an incredible group of musicians which consists of ex-guitarist of Dance Gavin Dance Zac Garren, Drummer Ben Rosett (who is also in Eternity Forever which is phenomal) and bassist Ian Jennings, you can’t really go wrong. Similar to Chon, this instrumental group brings incredible guitar riffs and technical drum parts to the table that you can’t help but dance to. They played songs such as “Agua Verde” and “Negro Spiritual” off of their incredible 2013 release French Ghetto, but of course included songs off of their newest release Italian Ghosts such as “Black Night, Golden Circus“. They were sure to play “Gospel” which of course includes Joey Lancaster (of Belle Noire) which he sang along to Strawberry Girls flawless instrumental. These guys played an incredible set at a packed Double Happiness, so make sure you check them out during this run! Be sure to check out Italian Ghosts as well, because it’s truly a banger.

Check out these related articles:

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *