As the audience filled into the Empire Control Room, the stage lit up a pale blue heralding the entrance of five figures walking onto the stage carrying microphones and instruments. On Saturday, Oct. 26, North Carolina-based band Weston Estate played their first concert in Austin as part of their Superbloom tour across the U.S., promoting the release of their upcoming EP Superbloom.
The band was supported by opening artists Ivri and TKthearchitect, who started off the concert with songs off Ivri’s new album The Star Factory. Ivri’s music consisted of very gentle vocals accompanied by intense technical guitar riffs written by TKthearchitect. Ivri is a refreshing new sound in the R&B genre combining elements of Lo-fi Hip Hop and Math Rock, and a great supporting act for Weston Estate, who also takes up a unique space in the R&B genre.
After Ivri’s last song of the night, Weston Estate came on stage and performed their single Drown, an intense song that hyped everyone up with its energetic bridge. While the recorded version of this song has a more laid-back feel, the live version was the perfect start to the concert with its mix of driving beats and calmer melodies. After the song finished, Singer Marco Gomez claimed that the Austin crowd had been the most excited audience they’ve had all tour, making the crowd go all the more wild.
After performing more songs from their prior discography, the band started to perform recently released songs from their EP Superbloom including I Saw Something and Camouflage, followed by unreleased songs like Turbo and Ride to hype the audience up for the upcoming EP release later this year.
The new songs showcased that night gave fans insight into the vibe of the band’s new EP. Compared to their recent singles, Superbloom takes listeners back to the sound of their album Maggie Valley with calmer, more ambient production and their signature choir-esque harmonies. It was met by positive feedback throughout the crowd, giving the eventual release of the EP a bright future.
While the band does not have a set drummer or bassist, this tour featured producer Abhi Manhass on bass and Timothy Barton on drums. The addition of bass and drums helped create a more lively atmosphere, and give the songs a performance aspect that they typically lack in recordings, as the band often uses drum samples and programmed bass.
Towards the end of the concert the band played one of their most iconic songs, Pears, which gained popularity after being featured on the show Never Have I Ever and being used as a TikTok audio. Though the song is about the complex dynamics of a failing relationship, the lively upbeat production and melodies had the entire crowd singing together and bonding over their love for their song, making for a bonding experience throughout the audience and the band as well.
To end the night, the band played their single Stoked, their song most fit to give the crowd one last burst of energy with its groovy vibe and catchy lyrics— if a college party was a song, it would be this song. As the song was about to end, the band transitioned into a rock rendition of the song, looping the chorus to keep the energy flowing for as long as possible.
As the band was about to close out, they surprised the crowd with one more song. In light of the recent trend, the band played FE!N by Travis Scott as a fun way to end the concert while still hyping the audience up.
Overall, Weston Estate’s concert went above and beyond getting their audience excited for the release of their EP Superbloom, and excelled in just giving the audience a great show of music and performance.
