Smallpools and The Night Shift Tour

Smallpools gave us an amazing show for the second stop on The Night Shift tour at The Basement East. Supported by Nashville’s favorite female powerhouse duo Moody Joody, The Romance, a rising pop/rock star from New Jersey, and Grayscale from Philadelphia, it was a night to remember. From the second you walked into the door of The Basement East, it was like there was a buzz of anticipation in the air as we all waited for Smallpools. When the lights went down, the only thing you could see was the red glow on their banner, and cheers immediately erupted from the crowd as Smallpools made their way onto stage. 

When the lights came back on, they instantly opened with “Night Shift” from their newest EP ‘Ghost Town Road (east)’ and everyone started dancing. The energy throughout the room was filled with happiness and community, which invoked summertime memories and driving with the windows down. Sean Scanlon was amazing on vocals and made sure to give us all of his energy throughout the night. Michael Kamerman moved all around the stage, and he frequently interacted with his fellow bandmates but never missed a note. The guitar tone was so rich and it fits perfectly with Smallpools’ sound. Even though he was sitting down, Beau Kuther held down the music perfectly on the drums and the kick drum was loud enough that you could almost feel it in your chest. With cool bass riffs from Daniel Kerrigan who is joining Smallpools for this tour, the music left nothing to be desired. 

We got songs such as “Fake a Happy Face”, and “Mother” but before the night ended, Sean made sure we got a first time, live performance of “Everywhere” with special guest Emily Vaughn. Hearing their vocals together was such an amazing experience and Emily was filled with energy and passion. Smallpools also played classics like “Lovetap” and “Killer Whales”. During “Killer Whales” an inflatable orca was thrown into the crowd and everyone kept it in the air for the entirety of the song. Witnessing that brought a nice level of unity into the atmosphere. By the end of the night, everyone was left with a smile on their face, sweat on their brow, and a night filled with memories that wouldn’t be forgotten anytime soon.

- Ashlee Riggins

Photos Courtesy of Ashlee Riggins (For Bell Music Magazine)