Beach House @ Bomb Factory, Dallas, TX

Words by Scott; photo provided by artist
The amount of great shows that the Bomb Factory has lined up since it's resurrection has been great, not only for Deep Ellum, but for Dallas music in general.  Having such a large, highly-flexible venue has brought great names as Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Chvrches, the D.O.C., et cetera, in a very short period of time.  When I heard that Beach House was being booked at Bomb Factory, I was super pumped since I haven't seen them perform since 2010, when they performed at Webster Hall in NYC.  With a handful of albums behind them since that performance, I was anxious to see them perform in such an open, high-quality venue with its multitude of lighting options and the ability to showcase the band's artistry in ways that might not be available at other venues.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case this night.

While bands like M83 or Purity Ring would fully take advantage of the Bomb Factory's toys, having highly elaborate lighting and/or stage setups, Beach House barely took up the middle of the stage with relatively little lighting and a faint projection cascading down panels of sheer fabric hung from the light truss.  In theory, the projections and low-key mood would compliment the band's music spot on, but in such a large venue, it totally missed the mark.  As for the music itself, the band performed admirably for the venue's size, yet were washed out by the crowd's talking and bottles rattling throughout their performance.  It wasn't until flashes of brilliance during "10 Mile Stereo", where the band blasted into high gear and raised the volume to 8 (not quite 10), that it overcame the buzz of the crowd.  As much as I love Beach House, I honestly think this show could have been a whole lot better at a more intimate venue, i.e. Majestic Theater or McFarlin Auditorium.  Hearing new songs from Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars were great and I always love hearing some of my favorites from Teen Dream ("Take Care", "Silver Soul"), but the set was lost in translation.  I guess you can't win them all.

enjoy.
Beach House @ Bomb Factory, Dallas, TX Beach House @ Bomb Factory, Dallas, TX Reviewed by Scott Rowe, Editor on April 20, 2016 Rating: 5
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