It felt like early summer in Ottawa on Friday night, with temps in the 20s, and things got even hotter as Texas King brought their Whatever You Break tour to the Dominion Tavern. Kicking off the evening were two local bands, Maybury and Growing Fires, both of which delivered solid sets of energetic, catchy songs that fired up the early crowd.
By the time Texas King took the stage, the Dom was packed, and all advance tickets were sold out. This is a band that seems to be on the cusp of something big. They have all the requisite ingredients for widespread success—talented musicians, a dynamic and entertaining frontman in Jordan MacDonald (who’s got the voice to back it up), an amazing live show, and most importantly, the songs. Whether you dig back through older material like “Chandelier” and “Boomerang”, or newer material like “You”, “Frontlines”, and “Whatever You Break”, Texas King knows how to write a song that sticks and that is relatable to fans. “Whatever You Break”, the band’s most recent single, is currently riding high at #9 on iHeartRadio’s Active Rock Chart, and it’s not surprising. The anthemic song is instantly catchy, and fans at the show last night were already capable of singing along to every word.
Amid MacDonald’s stage antics, bassist Phil Spina was constantly on the move, and recently added guitarist Josh Try wowed the crowd with fiery guitar leads as well as more ambient work during the quieter moments. And whether you are a drummer or not, there is nothing like seeing the frenetic action of Melvin Murray behind the drum kit. These guys simply love what they do, and it shows. The set was a perfect blend of all the band’s best material, with plenty of crowd interaction and a sneak preview of another new single, “Home”, from their next EP, which is set for a July release. See them once, and guaranteed, you will want to see them again.
Texas King‘s Whatever You Break cross-Canada tour continues on with dates in Ontario, Quebec, and western Canada.
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