After playing nine shows at SXSW last month, Austin-based band West 22nd hit the road once again for their first headline tour. Celebrating their new singles, they took the stage of The House of Blues on April 12th playing a mix of original songs, covers, and unreleased music.
Opening for West 22nd was the band Redwall. They were the first to kick off the evening, igniting the crowd’s energy before the two other bands went on. The Dallas-based indie band, consisting of high school seniors and a freshman in college, is working towards getting their name out there by performing at live shows such as this one. The audience was already singing along to “August,” their Flipturn cover, but their excitement immediately ascended when the first few notes of “Kilby Girl” by The Backseat Lovers rang out.
Following Redwall was Vision Arcade, who had been touring alongside West 22nd. Their music leans heavily towards indie-rock, evident in their latest single “Spaceman,” which was played at the beginning of their set. The band actively engaged with the crowd throughout their performance. Introducing their song “Hey Honey,” they playfully remarked, “We can’t play it if you don’t clap,” encouraging audience participation. As the set was nearing the end they went on to tease their song “I’m Gone,” by saying they were going to “play some blues at The House of Blues.” Wrapping up their set, the audience joined in again, clapping to their final song, “Fire Away.”
To end the night, West 22nd stepped on the stage and immediately began playing their latest singles “Sleeping Alone” and “Let Down.” Released on March 8th, 2024, these songs introduce a shift towards a heavier rock sound versus their typical indie genre. Despite being released only a month ago, fans already knew every lyric. With their next song “Sweet!” the band had the audience sing along, as lead singer Logan Madsen held out the microphone to the crowd to echo the word “Sweet.”
Continuing their set, the next few songs introduced a blend of covers from The Backseat Lovers and Mt. Joy. Before getting into their unreleased songs, Madsen asked the crowd “Y’all wanna hear a new one? Y’all wanna hear two new ones?” The anticipation in the audience rose as fans waited to hear what the band would sing next.
Towards the end of their set, they brought it back home to some of their first releases and most popular songs. Madsen told the audience this is a “cute little story on how we came together as a band” shortly before getting into the song “Road Trip.” The crowd went wild for this song, especially when the band replaced the city “Austin” with “Dallas” in the lyric, “Somewhere along the way wound up in Austin, Texas,”
The night was coming to an end, and the all-time favorite song “Sunny Jones” was next in line. This song, part of their EP All The Way Home, is meant to captivate the audience, bringing them back to the summer days in the Texas heat, evoking memories of friendships and romance. Their performance did exactly this as their carefree energy on stage rippled through the crowd, creating a sense of community and nostalgia. Midway through the song, Madsen took the phone from a fan to take a picture with the crowd; the audience leaned forward with outstretched arms trying to get into the shot. The stage presence of West 22nd never fails to energize the crowd. Whether it’s Jeremy Ancheta, the guitarist, going off stage to play his solo in front of the barricade, or Logan Madsen encouraging the audience to sing and clap along, they always leave an impression. Singing along to their songs in the venue that night felt like leaving behind every worry in the world.
Their setlist ended with their biggest hit “Sunburns,” which recently surpassed one million streams on Spotify. The fun and light-hearted song summed up the night’s energy and the feelings of their EP with the repeated phrase “Playing out in the sun.” When their show was complete, the band spent their time in the crowd, conversing with their fans and taking photos, bringing their last night on tour to an end.
I am a Dallas-based photographer who has an appreciation for both the arts and music! Besides photographing concerts, I also enjoy doing creative portraits and working in Photoshop. I spend my free time either playing the cello, guitar, or piano or collecting CDs and vinyls. I would say my top three favorite artists are Peter McPoland, The Beatles, and Harry Styles! I’m currently a senior in high school, but I plan to major in graphic design and one day turn concert photography into a career.
