Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming
Saturday night (5/6) was a long time in the making, as one of my favorite bands Telltale made their way to Omaha for the first time since 2019! When Stories was in its early stages I was hungry to find new and exciting bands to write about. One day I was scrolling through Instagram and I saw a video for Telltale and their catchy tunes had me hooked instantly.
My wife and Stories co-founder Virginia caught up with Telltale when they came to play Omaha at the Lookout Lounge (R.I.P). We went to dinner at Potbelly and recorded an interview for our article. It was awesome getting to know the guys in their beginning stages. A few years later, during the height of the pandemic Virginia designed a limited edition Telltale T-shirt.
Fast forward and Telltale is now on Rude Records, doing a full U.S. tour, have a new full-length album in the works, and have dates booked for the UK this summer!
When I saw that Telltale's tour was taking them through Omaha I was super excited to reconnect with the band and see all the support bands they were brining along including Brooklane and Sundressed. Rounding out the bill were locals Lightspeed Highway and Odd Man Out.
The first band up was Light Speed Highway. I had seen these guys play once before at the Drinkery indoors, but with daylight still left and a cool summer breeze the scene was set for a pop-punk fiesta. The guys in Light Speed Highway gave us their best as they kicked out the jams.
Up next was Odd Man Out. These dudes are a lot of fun. Coincidentally the last time Telltale came through Craig and the boys played the warm up slot. Telltale lead singer John gave Craig a shout out for wearing a Braile shirt and Craig led the circle pit during one of Telltale's pop punk breakdowns. If you don't already know, Craig and most of the guys in Odd Man Out play in a skate punk band called Pop Shove It. They do covers of all the classic Tony Hawk era songs and they absolutely shred. They're playing two shows this weekend so give them a follow for all the details!
After Odd Man Out pumped out the emo jams Brooklane from Fargo, ND took the stage. These guys had hooks for days! They really took the energy up a notch. Their songs had a pop punk flair with just a touch of electronica. Lead singer Alex mentioned that his voice was having some issues and that it was their last night with Telltale, but he didn't let it stop the band from turning in a killer set. Alex got some help from a friend on one of the songs and I was glad I was able to snag a pic. Hopefully they remember their time in Omaha fondly. Brooklane has a new single dropping on June 2 so give them a follow!
The direct support for the night was Sundressed from Arizona. The self-described emo band played a powerful set that got the room moving. I met this guy Moe earlier in the night who said he just googled "where's the good concerts" and showed up at the Drinkery. He and his lady really took to Sundressed and were rocking up front along with a few fans who were wearing Sundressed shirts and new every word to every song.
During their set lead singer Trevor said to meet him by the merch booth to talk about Saddle Creek records. I don't think he realized what he was in for as I blathered on about one of the greatest periods of music in history. I should've done more research up front as the band is from Tempe and even references the Gin Blossoms in one of their songs. I could've showed him that I have Robin Wilson's phone number! What a missed opportunity. Oh well, if you like emo pop punk that sounds like The Used took a bit less drugs and went to therapy for their mental health, then Sundressed is the band for you. Check them out!
As a chill set in it was time for the headliners Telltale!!! I was so pumped. Resident sound man and punk rock legend Keith was helping the band get their gear set up and I said "Keith do you remember when these guys played Lookout? They're so awesome!" After I said that I felt bad for putting him on the spot. He's seen thousands of bands come through. But being a true professional he replied "Yea I'm sure I was there". You were there Keith, and it ruled.
Telltale kicked things off with one of their one-off singles released over the pandemic "Slow Burn", followed by another one-off single "Breathe". It was cool seeing songs that I had now become familiar with live for the first time. After hitting us with some new songs Telltale took it back to their Timeless Youth E.P. playing "Rose" and "Bouquet". I could tell John was having a bit of trouble with his voice as he leaned on the crowd for some of the lyrics. Telltale had to cut the set a bit short as to not damage John's vocals but they left us with a crazy cover of "Break Stuff" by Limp Bizkit! While I would've hoped for a couple more songs, I totally understand where they were coming from and still have all the love in the world for this band. I caught up with John after the set and he was hopeful the new record will bring more touring opportunities and a chance to come through Omaha again soon. I'll be waiting patiently, hopefully not for another four years this time. Make sure you give Telltale a follow to keep up with new music on the way and all their tour dates.
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Telltale
Sundressed
Brooklane