July Talk with Little Hurricane and Sye Elaine Spence at Aisle 5

Still out supporting their 2013 self-titled debut record, July Talk swung through Atlanta last Thursday night almost exactly 1 year to the day from their last show at the EARL to play Aisle 5 presented by Bowery South. The band, a rock/blues powerhouse features the dual lead vocals of Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay, pushing each other back and forth both physically and verbally over the top of driving rock beats with lots of riffs and heavy drums full of stops and starts, howls and screams.

july Talk at Aisle 5 Atlanta

As good as their records are, July Talk are one of those bands that has to be seen live to get the full experience. The playful and unpredictable interplay between Peter, Leah and the audience are always the show’s wildcard that keeps everyone’s eyes locked on the band. Expect them to venture out into the crowd a few times to dance, share a drink, or as was the case the last time they were here, share some doughnuts from Krispy Kreme with the front row.

july Talk at Aisle 5 Atlanta

The band opened the show with “Blood & Honey” off their self titled debut and followed that up with a blistering versions of “Summer Dress,” and “Guns + Ammunition” in addition to playing a few tunes off a new record that they’re working on.

july Talk at Aisle 5 Atlanta

Local opener, Sye Elaine Spence kicked off the evening with a beautiful voice backed only by acoustic guitar. And while the crowd was a little noisy for most of her set, she had some folks truly mesmerized.

Sye Elaine Spence at Aisle 5

Up second, a 2 piece band from San Diego, Little Hurricane brought down the house with healthy dose of detroit influenced garage rock with a touch of blues and alt-country sprinkled on top. And while the White Stripes comparisons are easy to make, girl drummer, guy vocalist/guitarist playing some trashy blues licks, there’s a layer of Americana on top that really takes their sound a great direction.