Review and Photos by Corey Leaman

A fair amount of people turned out on a warm, but still damp, Thursday night to Kobo for Bad Veins’ return to Columbus on their first stop of the #NewJakeTour2013.

First band up was The Ridges from Athens, Ohio. After having some technical difficulties, the group began in a round off stage, immediately starting off with an intimate feel that did not fade after they took the stage. Featuring a variety of stringed instruments, The Ridges have a beautiful sound that sways from classical ethereal to sight folksy.

Next was In Silent Movies from Columbus who played their melodic dramatic indie rock songs, broken up with funny joke banter. Though, a few songs were a bit long for my taste.

Last but certainly not least was the headliner of the night Bad Veins from Cincinnati. I had never seen or heard them before so I had no idea what to expect. More intrigue was added when they had an old style recording device and telephone on stage, leaving me to wonder how they were going to be used. But the second their set began I was blown away. I don’t even know what to say to describe the experience except that it felt like big scale rock show in such a tiny space. Songs felt more epic and grand with their new light show they were trying out for the first time. Builds and burst exploded with sound and light. And it wasn’t so over used that it got irritating or dull. The set ended on a more personal note without the lights and Benjamin Davis, singer/guitarist, getting up close and personal with the audience.

Overall, it was a really great fun night and I look forward to seeing these bands again.

You can view the complete photo album from the night here.