Photos by Stella Mages
If you were given the chance to witness modern art rock legends bless your ears with the most serene set of songs one could ask for, surely, you’d jump at the opportunity too. On Oct. 17, I was lucky enough to see Black Country, New Road at the Granada for their 2026 North America tour. It’s like they knew it was the perfect time to come to Lawrence, just as the trees were beginning to change colors and the cool air started to creep into the atmosphere.
Standing closer to the barricade than I expected, I was aware of the cult status that Black Country, New Road had built for themselves since their beginnings, and it was obvious once I stepped into that crowd. Overall, the audience had a sense of comfort to them, just like the music we had all gathered to see.
Nicaraguan-American artist, Dagmar Zuniga, opened the show. Her music was soft. ominous, and completely captivating. However, her set was cut considerably short. She said she had a sore throat, yet continued on with her songs. Unfortunately, she couldn’t hold out any longer. Despite that, even with the handful of songs that she had played, the crowd was entirely breathless. I overheard one concertgoer compare her sound to that of “Perverts” by Ethel Cain, and I couldn’t agree more. I hope she gets one more chance to circle back to Lawrence, because it was clear that we were only getting started with her.
Once Black Country, New Road came on, the crowd was immediately energized. The setlist consisted almost entirely of tracks from their third studio album, “Forever Howling,” which was perfect for me. That was the album of theirs I had on repeat for a couple weeks prior. I stood in awe for the entire performance as they played song after song. Each vocalist sounded exactly like the studio version, the instruments felt like a hug and were mixed incredibly well, and I just felt like I was under a gorgeous autumn tree on the top of a hill, staring at the most beautiful sunset.
A part of the performance I really enjoyed was the members’ continuously switching between instruments. If you’re not familiar, the recording of “Forever Howling” involved band members alternating between instruments, creating an experimental yet playful character, one that the band hadn’t conjured beforehand. Some may not be a fan of this warmer, folkier direction that decision led to, but I thought it added a sense of ease, not just with their skillset, but with the performance in general.
The band snuck in two new songs, both untitled and not from any future records. If you thought “Forever Howling” was too different from their previous works, I would say that these new songs would be more up your alley. The folk instrumentation was less present, employing more of a chaotic nature. In the second song, the last minute or so was the same line shouted and repeated. It was made for a pleasant emotional surprise.
Black Country, New Road, had always felt like some sort of entity to me. The entity is in both a powerful and focused way, but also in the way that the band is their own thing and has made their mark on the music industry in ways that one could only wish. From the beautiful introduction of “The Big Spin” all the way up to the album-defining track, “Besties,” the memories of this concert will continue to etch into my brain, and I will keep their discography ringing in my eardrums.