On Friday I went to Sarbez! to see a few bands playing. The first was called Behold! The Radio. They fired their bass player and drummer sometime before the show and were playing as only an acoustic duo. I was actually relieved because I was checking out their Instagram before going and thought of showing up late in order to miss their set. Besides the fact that they didn’t really like themselves as simply a two-man band, they were fairly interesting. One of the lead players stated that it was just sort of weird for them, still it showed off their songwriting ability and willingness to try and adapt. The Portrait was on next. Also a Jacksonville-based band as the first in the line-up. I checked out The Portrait on Instagram earlier in the day and wasn’t excited to see them at all. I guess they adapted to the vibe of Sarbez! or something because things were much different in person. One of the lead singers who plays bass is a strong feminine presence with an image similar to the lead character in Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles. I’m not sure if they are normally more of a hard punk rock band that screams, but on this night they were getting into some groovy jams with that indie edge from the past we all crave so much. I started gaming during their set since Sarbez! has a huge collection of arcade games and that seemed to go well together their music, however I wasn’t able to pay too much attention to the details. For2itous played last and although there were some waves of people at one point filling up the bar area, the crowd started to thin as it got later. The trio had a great sound, actually possibly the best of the three gigs I’ve seen them so far play, however one thing was not as good as it had been. I think Gabe’s guitar level was a little low. That’s the funniest thing because I was just commenting to him on how he inspired the research into Orange amplifiers for one of my latest musical purchases. Duncan’s acoustic was sounding great with decent low open chords present and the drummer Ben’s drums sounded great in that club. He is a such a solid and creative player for a young musician. Overall this night felt like a bar full of VIP’s as everywhere I looked their were musicians and close friends and family of the bands. An intimate and rare experience for sure. Below are a few pictures.