Thomas Headon, an instantly-charming 23 year old from London, opened the show for half•alive at the Egyptian Room in downtown Indianapolis.
Headon, an indie pop rocker accompanied by his guitarist and drummer, immediately brought a fun vibe to the room, dancing around the stage and just generally having great energy. From the very first song he was encouraging the crowd to participate by clapping and singing along, teaching the words to those who didn’t know them and several times commenting on the noise level of the crowd.
Between songs he told jokes, made wisecracks, and at one point even hosted a single-question “Indiana trivia,” “for the grand prize of… ONE DOLLAR!”
From his energy to the authenticity of his original songs to the fact that he introduced a song as a “rock song” before then playing the Hannah Montana classic “Best of Both Worlds,” Thomas Headon was an absolute delight.
YIPPEE KI-YAY
half•alive came onto the stage at 9:00pm sharp to the roaring of the crowd in the Egyptian Room. They opened with “Tip Toes” but, possibly to the surprise of those who hadn’t seen them live before, started with the band hidden behind a large white sheet. For the entirety of the first song and the first half of “The Fall,” they remained obstructed by the sheet, instead showing cool and trippy shadow effects as the singer danced behind it. When the sheet was finally removed, the energy in the show spiked.
And after that, the energy stayed high for the entire show. half•alive brought the kind of showmanship that many bands do not — with their use of lights and shadows, simple but effective stage props in the form of of white blocks, and amazing choreography mostly performed by two dancers… this show was a visual masterpiece.
It sounded phenomenal, too. They played a wide variety of songs from each of their albums, including their recently-released single “Subliminal” halfway through, and some of their bigger hits like “Hot Tea” and “Still Feel” in the later half. At one point lead singer Josh Taylor took to the keyboard and played a mashup of melodies, including a brief piano rendition of their song “Arrow” and even a short cover of the song “Clarity” by Zedd that shocked and delighted the crowd.
Between “Move Me” and “Never Been Better,” a crowd member had a medical emergency and the band immediately called for lights to be brought up and a medic to be brought over. The crowd hushed as the singer watched in genuine worry, gently saying, “We can’t be okay until you guys are all okay.”
The show continued on and none of the energy was lost. The band’s dancers were incredible throughout the show, at one point doing actual backflips, at another forming shadows and illusions behind a translucent white box, and later doing a minutes-long dance for the audience while drum and bass solos were played.
The band went slightly over on time, but it was worth it to hear the entire setlist. They closed out with “Conditions of a Punk” and “Creature,” the latter of which was screamed by most of the room.
half•alive brought a show unlike any I’ve ever seen. Everything from their set to their choreography was beautifully planned, and I think singer Josh Taylor said it best when he addressed the crowd at the start of the show and said, “I hope you experience the best night of your life.”
The Lineup:
Half Alive – Josh Taylor, Brett Kramer, J. Tyler Johnson