Concert Recap: Colony House
Words and Photos by Hannah Pena
Tucked in the neighborhood of Reynoldstown, is The Eastern. Four-piece band, Colony House, brought a crowd to the two-story 2,300 capacity venue on a cloudy Saturday night on February 25. This show was unlike no other on the Cannonballers Tour, as it was being live-streamed for the One Night Only Concert Series by Wells Fargo. The night was filled with crowd interactions, twilight zone music before a song, and letting two fans play guitar and drums.
Alternative-rock band Little Image, got the crowd started with “Ego.” A band made of three best friends, Jack, Brandon, and Tyler, I saw them open for another show earlier last year. I fell in love with their energy and interaction with the crowd. Playing a bigger venue than before, their lighting helped emulate their songs, “Lungs Burn,” “Blue,” and their new single, “Out Of My Mind.” With a new album “Self Titled” out May 12, they sang “Ballet” and it got the energy of the fans going, before Colony House.
The gigantic curtain, with the band's logo, stopped shining at 9 pm. A monologue was playing and the strobe lights started, as the band slowly walked on stage. Starting off strong with “Landlocked Surf Rock,” the crowd was screaming and jumping along to every word. Having just released “The Cannonballers” album earlier this month, there was no one not singing along. Lead singer, Caleb, did not hold back and was shredding his guitar. Caleb’s brother, Will, was high up on his drums, with The Cannonballers album logo shining on him. Following the order of the album, they went right into “Would Ya Could Ya.” Everyone on stage had a big smile on their face, and the camera was capturing it all for the live stream. The band also sang some songs from their album, “When I Was Younger,” released in 2014. Even though it was nearing the 10-year mark, that did not stop the crowd from belting out every adlib and lyric.
The lights throughout the show consisted of half green and purple, strobing, bright amber, and spotlights on Caleb. One part of the show that was memorable, was the Twilight Zone music, before their energetic-crazy song “O YA.” The stage turned into an eerie red and The Eastern turned into a haunted house for 4 minutes and 20 seconds. After that jumpscare, the band went into the rock song “2:20.” In the middle of the set, Caleb picked out a fan from the crowd to play on his guitar. The fan explained to him that his friend can play the song on drums. The two fans got on stage and it was a sight to see as the band and fans played along together. Slowing it down, Caleb was then left alone for a small acoustic set. Playing a melody of “Leave What's Lost Behind,” “This Beautiful Life,” “Caught Me by Surprise,” and “I'm Not Dying,” the crowd was swaying along. Bass player and guitar player, Scott and Parke slowly joined Caleb on stage and harmonized with him. It was a beautiful moment. Bringing the energy up again, “Looking for Some Light” consisted of Caleb going into the crowd and singing with the fans. It was a beautiful artist-to-fan interaction. The night ended with “You Know It.” Throughout the night everyone was jumping up and down, but for this song, the crowd gave it their all the floor was shaking and some fans even crowd surfed.
Colony House played an exceptional show and the strong connection with their fans does not go unnoticed. By writing a tattoo for a fan while singing, saying hi to the people watching the live stream, and going into the crowd, this show tour is a big thank you to the fans who have been there since the beginning. As a first-time attendee of a Colony House show, it will definitely not be my last.
See the band’s upcoming tour dates and get tickets to see Colony House here!