Reviewed by: Clinton Camper
May 17, 2023 at Moody Ampitheater
Salt Lake City’s indie rockers, The Backseat Lovers, have truly blown up in the past few years. The band launched their nationwide Waiting to Spill tour in April, playing new jams off their latest record while continuing to expand their fan base in every city they visit.
I attended their Austin show at Moody Ampitheater on Wednesday, May 17 and was shocked to see that their Austin fanbase had tripled in size since seeing them in November of 2022 at Stubbs. Fans had been lined up on Trinity St with chairs and umbrellas since early that morning in hopes of getting a good spot for the concert.
Joshua Harmon (lead vocals and guitar), Jonas Swanson (lead guitar and vocals), KJ Ward (bass guitar), and Juice Welch (drummer and vocals) took the stage and were immediately drowned with applause, entering their signature live opening – a passionate, instrumental jam session that grabs the crowds attention while building into their first track.
The Backseat Lovers have quite literally become more comfortable playing together live, it was very evident in the way they seemed to experiment while performing. They opened with “Know Your Name,” one of the band’s most popular tracks off their new record. It was evident how stoked the band was to start their set with such a powerful song about growth.
In past performances the band would keep to a high-energy setlist. This time around they delved into a more emotionally intimate set with songs from Waiting to Spill. At the end of the night, an encore was certainly what they delivered – a live version of “Snowbank Blues” and “Words I Used,” switching to an acoustic duet between Harmon on the acoustic guitar and Swanson on keys. The vocal harmonies of Harmon and Swanson were highlighted as the audience lowered their volume out of sheer captivation from the emotionally gripping acoustic moments.
It is evident, The Backseat Lovers will only continue to grow, gain more fans, and perform in larger venues, so make sure you get a chance to see them live this tour, you will not be disappointed!