Story and Photos: Robert Willis. Editor: Spencer Fleming
In the heart of Benson sits the Reverb Lounge, a hidden gem among a plethora of Omaha venues. Walking by, you wouldn’t even know it’s a concert venue as the bar inside is almost bigger than the performance area. But tucked away is a small room with a stage, lights, and a more than decent sound system.
Monday night (4/1) Reverb hosted Australian Indie band Mansionair and electronic duo Beacon. The show got off to a bit of a slow start as the opener Beacon went on about 25 minutes late. However, a power move that might irritate the Indie scene in a bigger city like Portland went un-phased here in Omaha.
After the late start, a chill, layered sound filled the room. Beacon’s music is stout and dark. In short, it’s not a taste for everyone, but those who felt it were hooked from the beginning. Beacon’s set showed promise and hinted that the band may be ready to take on bigger stages. Beacon has three albums that can be found on Spotify.
Following Beacon was the headliner Mansionair, and fans were excited. Even though it was a Monday night, the room was packed considering its size. In my experience, Monday isn’t a night you would normally see a full house, unless it’s a really special band, but tonight, the air was electric. I was first introduced to Mansionair last year when they opened a sold out show with Bob Moses at The Waiting Room. After building a strong Midwest fanbase they were back to headline. The band opened with the track “Est”, then quickly transitioned into the crowd favorite “Alibi”. After the upbeat “Alibi” MansionAir chilled out with the smash hit “Hold Me Down.” They moved through staples “Violet City”, “We Could Leave”, “Falling”, and “Best Behavior”, a song about social anxiety. Signer Jack Forggatt has an incredible way of connecting with the crowd, regardless of size. You would never know that the band played to a crowd 10 times bigger in Chicago the night before.
Being that this was such an intimate crowd (around 100) you would think that encores are a rarity, but Reverb is different; smaller crowds just mean a bigger connection. Mansionair came back to play the one song everyone was waiting for “Astronaut.” The crowd wouldn’t let them go however, because a second encore was chanted for and the guys were happy to oblige. “Line of Sight”, their song with electronic duo Odesza just had to be played or this wouldn’t be a complete show. Lachlan admitted after the show it was poor planning on their part otherwise they might’ve played with Odesza instead. After the two encores Mansionair thanked the crowd
“Omaha was well worth it and very welcoming!”
Mansionair is Jack Froggatt, vocals, Lachlan Bostock, guitars and synths, and Alex Nicholls, percussion.
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