Noah Gundersen / Silver Torches @ Saturn Birmingham

Halloween is always an interesting night to go to a show because you never really know what to expect. Will the crowd be full of storm troopers and sexy pirates or will the bands participate and dress as the Village People? This year didn’t disappoint although nobody was dressed as the Village People. The spectators at Saturn in Birmingham, Alabama showed up with a mix bag of characters ranging from Forest Gump to road kill and the performers did their part by wearing masks before ditching them to sing.

The show began with the lead singer of Silver Torches, Erik Walters, performing a solo set in front of an early arriving crowd at Saturn. It had a singer/songwriter vibe with impactful lyrics and acoustic guitar backing. After three weeks on tour, this was Silver Torches last stop in support of Noah Gundersen.

The highlight of his set was when Gundersen and his entire band decided to surprise Walters during his second song by gathering behind him on stage and providing what I can only describe as the world’s first kazoo backup band. The memorable moment had a clear effect on Walters and everyone in the crowd seemed to really enjoy the lighthearted surprise.

After a short break Noah Gundersen and crew walked out wearing different Halloween masks ranging from Kyle Ren to creepy horse head. Gundersen even attempted to sing with his mask on until he determined that it was effecting the sound too much.

His set featured many songs off his new album White Noise released through Cooking Vinyl Records. During the song “Cocaine, Sex Alcohol” Gundersen got close and personal with the crowd when he took a stroll weaving around and surprising some people in the back that weren’t expecting to be face to face with the musician. It was clear to me that song had an impact and brought out emotions and feelings that most bands strive to achieve.

This was a fun show to cover and photograph due to the production level that his band travels with. From the projector positioned at the sound and light board that he brought with him to the many stage lights that gave each song it’s own unique vibe. Combine that with his original sound and his willingness to interact with his fans and this one won’t be forgotten any time soon.