On Nov. 18, The 27 Club may have been dimly-lit, but Hey Ocean! was luminescent. The band presented a musical journey for listeners, and performed songs from the past and some new ones as well.
The venue served to set the scene, with pools of amber light on stage and stained-glass light fixtures that illuminated the exposed brick wall, which served as a backdrop for the bar. Christmas lights wrapped around each of the three band member’s microphone stands. There was a sense of tenderness
Concertgoers were excited to see them back and the energy was infectious. It was pointed out that one person in the audience had been to the last four out of their five shows on their Canadian tour; that attendee was rewarded with a broken maraca from Ashleigh Ball.
Ball, who is both a vocalist and a flute-playing, maraca-rattling, tambourine-shaking artist, showed off her musical talents alongside her two other bandmates. Ball explained the origin of the band’s name in between songs. Ball noted a trip in which there was red tide and the name Hey Ocean! came from yelling at the body of water.
David Beckingham was on vocals and guitar. Beckingham made the commentary amongst the band members playful. At one point there was chant of ‘take it down’ as attendees wanted to see Beckingham’s long locks out of his pulled back coiffure.
David Vertesi played bass and was also on vocals. Vertesi brought a darker, edgier, raw sound to the music. This complemented Ball’s silky voice and Beckingham’s smooth vocals. The harmonies amongst the three were flawless. The bandmembers even performed solo work of their own, demonstrating the immense amount of skill each of them has.
The stage presence of Hey Ocean! was like no other. Their level of comfort and passionate energy made the evening. The band members chimed in on embracing the weirdness, which comes along with live performances. It made the band seem down to earth as they made jokes in such an organic fashion throughout the two sets they performed.
Nearing the ending of the evening, the bandmates unplugged their instruments and stepped away from their microphones to do an acoustic rendition of one of their hits, “Big Blue Wave.” Before the performance of the song, they asked for everyone to come close to the stage as if it was a bonfire and to imagine an ocean. It seemed as though everyone there was singing along. There was a definite community vibe in the room, and in the end, The show was both unique and a masterful showcase of talent.
Photo by Aaron Hemens
