Gabby’s World and Yowler, two bands whose 2018 albums were among the best of the year, kicked off a tour together on January 9th at O’briens with local support from Request Freebird.

It was an extremely significant night for Request Freebird: During their set, the band’s leader, Noah, informed the crowd that just prior to the show, Request Freebird surpassed Jive Jones’ Facebook page by a single like (282 likes versus 281). Then he led the crowd in a chant of “Fuck Jive Jones. It was just one of a number of esoteric jokes that managed to connect with the crowd. 

Yowler was up next. Despite frontperson Maryn Jones’ suggestion that Austin Powers (playing on a TV over the bar) was worthier of the crowd’s attention, the audience was captivated by their set. The songs on their new album Black Dog in my Path were brilliant live, from the intense bursts of noise in songs like “Where is my light?” to the softer tracks.

Gabby’s World ended the night with a nice mix of songs from their 2015 release O.K. and the new album Beast on Beast. Early in the show, songwriter Gabby Smith took a show of hands to see who had the flu this year, and both she and band member Oliver Kalb raised their hands (along with one audience member). It’s fortunate that the band recovered in time for this tour. The choreographed dance routine her friends broke out into in back of the audience during “The Thunder Answered Back” was a nice bookend to the night.

See below for photos from the show (in order: Gabby’s World, Yowler, and Request Freebird):