In an attempt to have a little more free time at home, I haven't been shooting full shows lately, trying to just shoot the bands I came out to see. I was interested in seeing Softlights, but they didn't have the El Ten Eleven boys as the rhythm section like I had hoped, so there went shooting them. Abraham held it down on bass, but it was packed and I didn't feel like muscling my way to the front. Things cleared out just enough by the time Hotel St George came on.



I can't believe it's been six months since I've seen them last. Their latest album had just come out, and they were already working on the next one at that point. This set drew almost exclusively from Fun Shine Line, which I haven't heard yet.



City Boy Lemon was a bit of a departure from their previous two EPs. The music took a turn for some darker tones and themes, reminding me a lot of those great Joe Jackson albums from the '70s. He sang primarily from the viewpoint of someone who was longing for more women and success, City Boy Lemon is based on someone who is struggling with having a little too much of the good life.



The albums I'm familiar with have great, snarly bass tones but this set replaced keyboards for all the songs except one, All Those Dancing Stars (the only song they played off City Boy Lemon).



They are evolving with every release, and I can't wait to hear the studio versions of these songs. City Boy Lemon has a great sound, with very overdriven and swirly guitars. The way they reinvent themselves, Fun Shine Line should be quite interesting.



The light was a bit lacking, as they had the front lights turned down just before they started playing. I pulled out my primes to try to get a little more light in, but this was another set where I'd have to embrace the blur. A note to bands that see me shooting- the more light I have to work with, the better your photos will be. I love a challenge, but I love well-exposed, non-blurry photos more.