Austin, Texas Knows How to Turn Up! Missio, Blackillac, and Swells Concert Review
The energy!!! A mix of electronic sounds and rocking beats, MISSIO came out strong. Dancing all over the stage, belting out, and getting close to the audience just like the audience wanted. I loved that there were songs that brought out a little Mediterranean spice, 80's pop, rock, and even an EDM element. It was definitely a concert that kept your ears interested in each song, due to each song having it's own flavor of sound. You can see that MISSIO really cares about their audience. In the middle of the show they asked us to introduce ourselves to strangers, which helped me feel more comfortable rocking out without feeling weird. MISSIO does a great job of having a mix of songs that have a catchy chorus so the fans can sing along to it, as well as having songs for us to just close our eyes, relax, and listen to the music (Their song Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea, for example). You know the band mates of MISSIO are genuine people, it is rare to see a headliner bring out an opener during one of their songs, but when they did it was absolutely fantastic, the hype level went through the roof! The only thing I wish they would have done is during the moments where the audio recording of a rapper was playing, they should bring out an actual hip-hop artist.
Talking about actual Hip-Hop Artists, remember the opener I told you about that MISSIO brought out? Well their name is Blackillac, a brother hip-hop due from Austin, Texas. Even though the first opener brought good energy, Blackillac was the reason why the audience was so energized and ready for the main show. Not only do they have great back beats, mostly because it doesn't have too much noise, they also have a really strong flow. Not only their flow as a group, but how they flow off each other, how they give each other their own moment to shine, and when they harmonize together magic is made! What is really cool about each song, is that it has it's moment where they can incorporate new lyrics, depending on where they are performing, but the big moment where they utilized their city knowledge is during their freestlye! Giving the city love, taking stabs at the bullshit, and joking around about athletes and celebrities. This is a duo you want to see live, they GIVE you the performance you want!
Don't think I forgot about the band SWELLS. They made everyone feel comfortable, by making us laugh, saying how much they like to smoke just like the rest of us, as well as bringing us sway worthy music. They have a MAGIC! kind of vibe to them with their own soulful flavor. The singer Taylor, had an awesome vocal range, which really gave her the power of hitting certain music styles, such as Raggae and Soul. Which are both fun music styles to move your body to while listening to her sing. She did such a great job of using the crowd, talking to us about what the songs mean, and making us laugh and relate to her personal life. Her band mate Drew also did a great job of entertaining, adding his own sarcastic one liners to mesh with Taylor's conversation. Not only does he mesh with her conversations but he made great production work to make the melody of the songs so sweet and smooth. The only thing they should watch out for is the drum beat bouncing off of surrounding object, because it caused an echo that messed with your sound. Really excited to see what else they come out with.
Everybody go check out these bands! If they perform together or sole, either way you'll have a great time!