credit: novo.net

This review almost writes itself. If you take a look at the videos we took, you’ll see what I mean.

I broke a sweat just watching lead singer Coley Kennedy jump, slam, twitch and rock across every inch of the stage at The Empty Bottle. The man is a beast, demanding the attention of all in the crowd and forcing them to bask in his magnificence.

That last part may seem a bit hyperbolic, but believe me, until you’ve seen Welcome To Ashley live, you have no idea. I did not expect so much energy to be flying away from the stage and into the audience.

From their record, Beyond the Pale, I knew I was going to get a show with some really strong tunes that I could tap my toe/bob my head up and down to, but I didn’t expect to be blown away by the sheer awesomeness that Kennedy and co. brought to the stage.

The vocals were spot on, the bass and drum had perfect timing — save for a mishap with a cymbal that caused a slight pause in Jeremy Barrett’s finger pluckin’, but only long enough to resolve the issue — and then right back to it as if nothing had happened.

And Pete Javier was shredding so hard on his guitar, I thought the place might go up in flames if he didn’t bring it down a notch. Lucky for us he didn’t.

There isn’t much else that I can say that can’t be learned via video of the show, so I’ll let the moving images take it from here.

Extras:

• Check out my review of Welcome To Ashley’s Beyond the Pale here on Chicago Tunes.
• Beyond the Pale can be streamed in its entirety on Welcome To Ashley’s Bandcamp page. It can also be purchased on iTunes for $8.91.

Enjoy this review? Check out other Show Reviews on Chicago Tunes!

Welcome To Ashley performing “These Dreams of Mine”

Welcome To Ashley performing “What a Day it Was for Dying”