Last Friday night, the Blind Pig experienced a packed house for a soulful and breathtaking performance from the indie-soul group known as Melt.  To wrap up the first week of their international tour, Melt made a stop in Ann Arbor—and they were an absolute powerhouse. 

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Upon my early 7:15 arrival, there was already a queue outside of the building, which built up even more excitement for me. Although this was my first time attending a concert at the Blind Pig, the atmosphere was amazing. People of all ages gathered to experience the feel-good music. At the entryway to the venue, the merch table was filled with a variety of items to take home. Several t-shirts, signed posters, hats, and other items ended up selling out by the end of the night. My friends and I settled in a spot close to the front but off to the side a bit, preparing for the opener – Tea & Sympathy.

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Tea & Sympathy couldn’t have been more of a perfect opener for this show. They not only sang fan favorites from artists like Prince and The Beatles, but also catered to the indie kids of America with songs by artists such as Lorde. I loved being able to sing along, but also enjoyed the original songs by this group. It was an amazing variety and the crowd seemed to have high energy throughout the entire set. I can’t wait to see more from them in the future.

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The headliner, Melt, started out with what I believe to be their best song– “Waves.” It might have been the excitement of my roommate Lily who absolutely loves that song, but their entrance was one of my favorite parts of the night. All of the musicians have amazing chemistry and it was very exciting to see how they interacted with each other throughout the set. The lead singer Veronica had an incredibly soulful voice that matches perfectly with Melt’s indie-soul sound. The horn section, consisting of trumpet and saxophone, complemented Veronica’s voice flawlessly. I was shocked at how well all of the instruments blended together, it’s not typical for indie bands to have other instruments besides the basics (guitar, drums, bass). The addition of the other instruments was really interesting to hear, and I was very fond of it. While I was previously unfamiliar with Melt’s discography, I think they had an amazing setlist, inspiring me to listen to them more. I personally loved the performance of their new single, “Fade Into You”, which they released the day of the show (so I may be a little biased towards it). Melt seems to stick to a familiar sound, as a few songs in the middle of the set blended together a bit for me. Nonetheless, they had my attention for the whole set, and I don’t think there was a head in the crowd that wasn’t bopping the whole time. 

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Melt was my first concert of the semester, as well as my first concert at the Blind Pig, and it did not disappoint. As a fan of indie and live music in general, it was overall an enjoyable and energetic experience. Melt and Tea & Sympathy both have amazing sounds; I’m glad I got to experience their electric energies, and clear love for sharing music with others.