St. Paul and The Broken Bones @ Lexington Opera House 11.15.17
St. Paul and The Broken Bones made a triumphant return to their old stomping grounds of Lexington this week with a two-night, sold-out run at the Lexington Opera House. As a former Kentucky Wildcat, Paul Janeway (vocals) gave a shout out to the small bars and clubs they played around town before getting signed to a label and touring world, specifically, Willie’s Locally Known.
The eight-piece soul outfit from Birmingham, AL. took took the stage that was covered in gold; from the carpet to the curtain, from instruments to shoes, everything had a Midas touch to it. The backdrop centerpiece was a gold foil replica of the stained glass design on the cover of their most recent album Sea of Noise, giving the Opera House a soulful church choir vibe. And that’s what Paul did, took us to church.
Donning a gold-flecked shawl atop a colorful blazer, Janeway preached the Gospel of Soul in a set that highlighted the band’s southern twang. While pulling equally from both EPs, set highlights were found in covers of Radiohead’s “National Anthem” and Tame Impala’s “Eventually” which closed out the set. If you’d of asked me before the show to guess what covers they’d play, these two wouldn’t have even been on my radar. However, Paul’s silky smooth croon breathed new life into two already great tracks.
