This show represents many firsts for events I’ve featured and recapped here. It’s the first time I’ve actually seen Chase Hamblin live; I did make myself a bit familiar with his music before the show. It’s also the first time I attended an event like this with my mom, who isn’t familiar with the local music scene at all.

And, it’s also the first time I’ve attended an event at a nominal sports bar that threw a curveball of its own. I was expecting an indoor venue instead of a patio-on-a-parking-lot type of affair, as was another attendee my mom and I were talking to. I was also thrown for a loop by the urban-style (read: graffiti-esque) mural above part of the seating area, which is the most obvious identifier of Phul Court from a distance. However, surprises aside, on a dry and relatively cool summer night in Houston, Phul Court is a great venue for this kind of show, and now that I know what to expect when I come here in the future it’s no big deal.

There was a food truck on site, NOLA’s Creole 2 Geaux. Mom had the gumbo, I finally settled on the red beans and rice. Both were a great deal at $7 apiece, and given the portion size and quality, this is probably one of the better values from a food truck that I’ve seen. Also present was Urban Izzy, Houston’s first boutique on wheels, taking the mobile storefront concept into something besides food for those interested. While neither mom nor I checked it out, this is definitely another mobile merchant I’ll be looking for in the future.

Since we arrived a bit early, we got to see Chase and the band tune up. Once they were done, some Beatles tunes were played over the PA, and then Chase and the band went on right at 9pm as scheduled.

Setlist:

• Leaving Town
• Think of the Good Times *
• Beautiful Things
• We’re Gonna Make It *
• A Fine Time *
• Round & Round
• Never Let You Go *
• Lonesome
• One More Hour
• Quiet Life
• That’s How We Go
• I’ve Got a Brain
• Can You See the Beast?
• Bye, Bye *
• Ziggy Stardust #
• Suffragette City #

* denotes a song recorded on the current EP – A Fine Time
# denotes a David Bowie cover (encore)

The set ran for a good hour, and the crowd response remained pretty good throughout the entire set. During the first song Jeremy Nuncio played an extended piano solo while Chase made some kind of equipment adjustments. The rest of the show ran rather well except for a slight issue with microphone feedback at one point.

As someone completely unfamiliar with Chase’s live act, I was awestruck to say the least. It’s hard to tell which acts from any local music scene (whether it be Houston, Austin, LA, Nashville, or NYC) will break through and become famous outside of their hometown. But I definitely think Chase and his band are definitely one of the acts with that potential to break through.

The band:

Chase Hamblin – lead vocals (of course)
Corey Power – guitar, vocals
Jeremy Nuncio – keys
Rob Terril – bass
Marcus Hughes – drums, vocals