On the evening of February 29th, Illiterate Light was to take the stage at the Basement East. This show resulted in being the second to last concert to take place at the iconic venue.
Having never heard of them, I was extremely excited to check them out after reading their intriguing bio:
They have a pretty crazy story – one that’s taken them from small-town organic farmers to major label rockers. The band’s self-titled Atlantic Records debut mixes soaring indie rock, swirling psychedelia, and atmospheric folk into a captivating blend that at once calls to mind everything from My Morning Jacket to Fleet Foxes to Band of Horses. They’ve honed in on their distinctive sound through relentless touring, opening for the likes of Shakey Graves, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and Mt. Joy – in addition to high-profile festival slots at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Newport Folk where they received a standing ovation — “no small feat before noon” (Boston Globe).
It’s not very often you get to see a show put on by two guys who decided to leave the life they knew of farming to become rockstars – tied in with some elements of psych-rock? Okay, you’ve got me there, I’m in. With only a vague idea of what to expect, I felt ready for whatever I was about to experience.
From the moment Illiterate Light stepped on stage, they had an interesting set-up. It’s not common for the drummer to 1) be in the spotlight 2) to be standing while performing! The duo performed as equals, side-by-side, creating an incredible energy which was matched by the audience throughout the entire show!
As I wasn’t previously familiar with Illiterate Light, I made sure to grab a photo of the set-list for any fans who might want to know which songs they performed. It was an electric performance – and several of these tracks have made it into my Spotify library!
The peak moment of this energetic show was when the finale was about to happen and Illiterate Light asked for some of their friends to join on stage. Their friends ran through the audience from the back of the crowd, joining them on stage in complete choas to perform a fantastic finale. Overall, I would definitely recommend seeing Illiterate Lights the next time they perform near you!
Click here for the complete photo album.
Coverage by @stargirlshoots
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