LIVE REVIEW: NO @ The Troubadour, LA 3/7/14

March 14. 2014 | By Andre Cruz

As part of the Arts & Crafts North American label tour, NO headlined the historic Troubadour with fellow labelmates Reuben and the Dark and The Darcys.

Reuben and the Dark @ Troubadour, LA 3/8/14Reuben and the Dark

Unfortunately we only caught the very end of Reuben and the Dark’s set and from what we saw the band has a very promising sound. The Darcys swooned the audience with their soulful indie rock stylings, impressive two part harmonies included.

The Darcys @ Troubadour, LA 3/8/14The Darcys

The Darcys @ Troubadour, LA 3/8/14The Darcys

When the six members of NO took to the stage, the small and intimate venue had filled to capacity. Starting with “Another Life” the band made quick work of reminding us all why we love them so much. The band’s precision in executing their songs is truly something to marvel. Lead singer Bradley Hanan Carter lifted his drink and said “Cheers!” with “What’s Your Name?” following. “So Scared” and “Last Chance” on their debut full-length El Prado are the perfect examples of NO’s melting pot of sounds that perfectly compliment each other.

NO @ Troubadour, LA 3/8/14NO

The band plays with so much enjoyment and consciousness of each other, frequently making eye contact with each other, smiling, or giving a nod of approval. “Stay With Me” and “North Star” saw Carter’s ridiculous ability to draw you in and instantly tug at your emotions. Carters effortlessly falls into character, being able to act out so much angst and pain with his performance. The three layered guitar assault (compliments of Ryan Lallier, Reese Richardson, and Simon Oscroft) gives the band a ton of room to easily transition into explosive rhythms. Bassist Sean Daniel Stentz plays an almost navigator-like role, providing a good majority of back up vocals.

NO @ Troubadour, LA 3/8/14NO

NO @ Troubadour, LA 3/8/14NO

NO @ Troubadour, LA 3/8/14NO

And let’s not forget the super human like talents drummer Michael Walker who took every opportunity to push the tempo and add a few extra time changes to some songs. Ending their set with “Hold On,” Carter coached the audience on how to provide the extra “Oh”’s during the song’s chorus. When the group came out for an unexpected encore, Carter explained “We never do encores, but were in LA!” then shamelessly confessed to being unprepared, then bringing the fantastic performance with “There’s A Glow”. Another inspiring and breathtaking live show by NO serving as reminder to why they won us over in the first place.

NO @ Troubadour, LA 3/8/14NO

Check out a full gallery of NO bringing it all back home to LA HERE!

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