Lovers of romantic TV dramas might be familiar with Andrew Belle’s songs from inherently melodramatic moments of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Vampire Diaries” and “Pretty Little Liars.” These songs, from Belle’s debut LP The Ladder, may fit into this singer-songwriter cliché. But if the audience at Tuesday’s show at the High Noon were expecting just a man, a guitar and emotionally-driven lyrics, they were instead met with two full bands and an energetic performance from both The Young International and Belle himself.
The venue was a perfect fit for the performers. The atmosphere was intimate and cozy with great acoustics and dark lighting. Like Belle, the High Noon started with an old theme and added a new age twist. The saloon-style bar is adorned in horseshoes and desert landscapes, but behind the bar Obey stickers and posters promoting heavy metal give it an underground punk feel.
Similarly, Belle is attempting to add more energy to the traditional singer-songwriter genre by promoting his new sophomore LP Black Bear, which dropped on Aug. 20. On this LP, Belle works hard to shed his Jack Johnson-esque beginnings while keeping true to some of his original Nashville flavor. He does this by introducing a deeper bass and syncopating beats along with a rhythmic guitar, especially on songs like “Santa Fe,” which starts with a jazzy keyboard and adds smooth vocals reminiscent of Toro Y Moi.
Madison was Belle’s first stop on this tour, and it was the first time Belle and The Young International played together. This created an environment of experimentation and honesty between the performers and the crowd. Working to get their footing, they were humble and engaging with the audience.
The Young International opened the show. Many of the band members had been Belle’s roommates for several years and had helped him compose his debut album. They are a Nashville-based band whose music brings to mind Grizzly Bear’s Shields. They describe their sound as alternative rock, and it was indeed a poppy-rock fusion mixed with strong percussion and ranging vocals. Their drummer, however, was possibly too strong because a snare was broken after the first set. Rather than making it an issue, the band took this momentary technical lapse as an opportunity to invite the audience for hugs and hellos after the show. They were as personable as an opener could be, laughing with the crowd when the bassist started in the wrong key and referring to their tour mate as “A. Belle”.
Belle followed suit. At first he warned the scheduled short set would not leave him any time for nonsense, but this quickly changed when his earpiece was lost after a passionate pounding on a spare snare during a song. While the audience and crew looked for the piece, Belle talked SEC football with a room full of Badger fans—a risky move—but it did work to lighten up the crowd. He played mostly songs from the new album, including a heartfelt performance of “Sister.” He also mentioned that the tour is raising funds for Dennis—a boy from Kenya in need of surgery—through an organization called Cure International.
Unlike many of Belle’s contemporaries, he cannot be shirked into the singer-songwriter subgenre of made-for-television music. On his newest album and at the High Noon Saloon Tuesday, he shifted the mood from mellow to upbeat, soliciting head-nodding and dancing, rather than the tears one might expect.
