Thirdstory @ Paradise Rock Club

by Nike Brannstrom
2016-09-22

Thirdstory @ Paradise Rock Club

The first time I heard the airtight harmonies of Thirdstory was in New York City through a friend. The trio, Ben Lusher, Elliot Skinner, and Richard Saunders, gained popularity on Youtube through their refreshing take on pop hits like Taylor Swift’s “Style” and Sam Smith’s “I’m Not The Only One”. Millions of views, and thousands of fans later, the band finally released their debut EP Searching in May after opening for Tori Kelly on her Unbreakable tour earlier this year. With enchanting harmonies, catchy melodies, and a mix of indie soul, their highly anticipated EP did not disappoint.

In the last month, Thirdstory has embarked on their very first headlining tour through the US, and I was lucky enough to attend their show at Paradise Rock Club in Boston. Late (due to the ever-slow green line), I ran into the venue only to be hit with a soulful explosion of a voice that I was instantly curious about. LOLO opened the show with her new album In Loving Memory of When I Gave A Sh*t. The self-confident and sassy title perfectly reflected her lyrics and chemistry on stage. Her songs varied from the soulful and raw “I Don’t Wanna Have To Lie” to the self-aware pop ballad “Shine.” LOLO is definitely on the rise and I can’t wait to hear more from her in the future.

The crowd, myself included, anxiously awaited the arrival of Thirdstory. Ben, Richard, and Elliot’s humble walk onto the stage was met with an uproar of “fangirling” excitement from the audience. They started the set with their original song “Grows Old” off of the Searching EP. Calm waves of haunting harmonies filled the room and grew into a storm of electric echoes, heavy bass, and powerful lyrics. Let’s just say, it was a hell of a way to begin, and the energy level from the first song carried throughout the show.

The trio diversified their set with refreshing covers including Tove Lo’s “Talking Body” and Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” It was clear that originals such as “Searching For A Feeling” and “G Train” were the audience’s favorites. “Searching For A Feeling” caught my eye back in May for the song’s brutally honest lyrics and beautifully executed euphony. “G Train” has a Motown, funky feel to it with catchy guitar riffs, and it was definitely the crowd pleaser. Elliot even stopped the band at one point to have us belt the lyrics, just to make sure we were feeling the groove.

They also included some new originals, not yet released to the public. One song specifically stayed with me throughout the rest of the show – as if I didn’t have enough of them stuck in my head already – called “Goodbye My Friend.” It began with a heavy beat and developed into an anthem for anyone who has been in a complicated friendship (which is all of us). Every once in awhile, you come across a song that says exactly what you’re feeling and for me, fate pretty much came to me in the form of a melody on a dirty dance floor. I turned my phone off, stopped taking notes, and closed my eyes for the rest of the song.

Thirdstory is special. Elliot, Ben, and Richard all have distinctive voices, but they balance their individual sounds extremely well to create one, fantastic, smooth eargasm when singing together. Their captivating performance shows that they’re not just another boy band, but rather a group of talented musicians taking the industry by storm. The Paradise show was a success to say the least. Now I anxiously await their full length album with the Searching EP on repeat.

-Nike B.