Tall Heights and Ballroom Thieves perform for students

Luis Fernando Santillán-Guzmán, For the Review

The indie-folk band Tall Heights returned to the Linfield stage to entertain the student body, with old, new and unreleased songs on Thursday Sept. 11. Tall Heights shared the stage with the Ballroom Thieves, a Bostonian folk-rock band who graced Linfield with their fresh, unique blend of musical style.

Tall Heights’ music was reminiscent of bands like Mumford and Sons with a unique tang of artists like Vance Joy. Any fan of folk music would not only enjoy them, but also appreciate the simplicity of the two-man band. The musical style was impressive – from slow, old-world songs to some of the fast paced, modern folk in Mumford and Sons.

At the end of the concert, Linfield students clamored for an encore and the band came back onstage to play a few more songs.

Most of the performance came from Man of Stone, their most recent album, and their debut album, Rafters. However, those who were familiar with Tall Heights were given a few surprises. Tall Heights debuted several new previews of upcoming songs, including one titled “Only.”  The release date of these coming songs was not announced, but these songs won’t disappoint.

Ballroom Thieves, the opening band, also debuted some unreleased songs and played many from their album “The Devil & The Deep.”

While both bands had that quintessential folk vibe, Ballroom Thieves had more of the strong rock influence we see in many other bands. As a result, you can expect some of their music to be sometimes more fast-paced than Tall Heights. However, towards the end of their performance the set encountered technical difficulties. Without worry or hesitance, the Ballroom Thieves stepped off the stage and began playing inside the crowd, unplugged. They proved that their slow, lyrical ballads were just as good as the rest of their musical repertoire. The band also often interjected with their sense of humor.

“Are you a religious school?” asked Devin Mauch, singer and percussionist for the band. “So we’re allowed to say bad words, right?”

After a brief audience response, the band introduced their following song.

“Our next song is called ‘Wild Woman.’ It’s about a woman…who is wild…in the Mowgli sense…no offense to small Indian boys,” Mauch said.

Afterwards, both bands set up candle-lit tables, giving students the opportunity to buy their albums, buy T-shirts and other merchandise, or just strike up a quick chat.

This event was hosted by the Linfield Activities Board.