Lead singer: David Dennis
Venue: The Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA
(photo credit: TheFanFiles.Blogspot.com)
Last Wednesday (July 25, 2012), 2 MTV employees and 1 intern were given the opportunity to attend a live show featuring up-and-coming band Voxhaul Broadcast. This is the account of each of their individual experiences
Karly:
I’ve always said that seeing a band perform live can really “make or break” them, and there’s no question that Voxhaul Broadcast officially falls under the “made” category in my book. This was my second time seeing the band live, and just like before, I walked away humming along to their tunes in my head. From the beginning of their set, the arena-sized energy David Dennis and his band delivered on stage filled the walls of the Troubadour, as a group of girls and boys in front of me began a sing-along/dance party that lasted all night. The band kept up the good vibes as they played through a 45+ minute set, which included audience favorites “Leaving on the 5th”, “Cheetah”, and “Rotten Apples”. With the first chord of every song, the crowd shouted with contagious excitement, and I found myself walking in to join the dance party (not a usual habit for me). Overall, it was some of the most fun I’ve had at an indie rock show in awhile, and I’ll definitely be making it out to see them play again.
Grant:
Clearly thrilled to be headlining at the historic Troubadour, Voxhaul Broadcast gave the crowd everything they had. The set started off strong with some of their older material but with the words, “We’re going to try some new songs for you”, things got taken to a whole new level. Immediately, the pack of fans in front of me threw up their arms and started getting into the heavy riff that began the first of their new songs.
While the arms of the crowd may have hurt my view, I couldn’t help getting swept up in the moment. A band on the cusp of fame, debuting what could be their breakthrough album to the home crowd. Who wouldn’t love to be apart of that moment? From there on out, the band seemed to be in their element. Dennis danced around the stage with obvious rock star charisma, hollered into the mic at will, and generally owned the Troubadour like a vet. While the band was expectedly great, the sound in the Troubadour did everything it could to help showcase Voxhaul’s talent. With balanced mixing and unbelievably crisp vocals, it made it that much easier for Dennis to profess his love and for the crowd to get swept away in it all. Voxhaul Broadcast seems to have plans of taking their stardom to the next level, and with this show it seems like they’re on the right track.
Johnathan (Intern, MTV Creative Music Integration):
Having only heard their recorded material briefly in the past, seeing Voxhaul Broadcast live for my first time was surprisingly enthralling. From the beginning, frontman David Dennis carried a confident but endearing presence in front of fans, reinforcing the feeling that everyone, including the talent on stage, came to the intimately sized Troubadour to have a good time, by celebrating great music. The first thing I noticed when Voxhaul kicked off their set was that not just the entire floor space, but also the seated sections in the bar immediately came to life dancing, matching the energy of the band on stage, while first-timer / bystanders like myself held on for dear life and listened intently.
After hearing them bounce around from poppy indie-rock to the epic and anthemic vibes, reminiscent of the 80’s classics, and across to a grungier alternative style, there was no doubt in my mind that Voxhaul could and would dominate any style of Rock they happened to venture to over the course of their set. And so they did. Song after song, the band brought their own distinct sound to a variety of Rock styles, each time setting their fans frenzied. The intensity in the audience only felt appropriate with the level of intensity they were constantly performing at. Not even half way through their set-list, I felt I could identify with the six year old dancing from her mother’s lap in the row in front of me: “I don’t really know what these songs are about yet but damn, do they sound awesome!”. When he wasn’t wailing wonder into the microphone, Dennis interacted with the band’s keyboardist and bassist in a way that showed this group has enjoyed playing together for a while. I couldn’t have asked for a better first impression from a band. Between their amazing stage presence and solid versatility as musicians, I think it’s safe to say that both fans and newcomers were blown away by Voxhaul’s performance at the Troubador and I will definitely be seeing them again.
.