Nashville indie group Colony House played a triumphant return to Columbus at Skully’s Music-Diner in Columbus, Ohio on the evening of September 29th, with support from opening act, Happy Landing. This show comes in promotion of the band’s fifth and most recent album, 77 pt. 1, released on September 5th.
The band’s lineup, including lead singer Caleb Chapman (lead vocals, guitar), his brother Will Chapman (drums), Parke Cottrell (bass), and Scott Mills (guitar), showcased their discographic journey, now over a decade long, with a setlist that blended the energetic nostalgia of their early work, including When I Was Younger and Only The Lonely, with the contemplative mood and spiritual presence of newer material.
The first album for the band since 2023’s The Cannonballers, last month’s 77 pt. 1 marks a noticeable shift in tone for Colony House. While the band’s penultimate record celebrated “the rush and recklessness of youth,” the new release, according to their Red-Light Management bio, “slows the pace without losing momentum.” This move toward a more introspective sound, with gentler arrangements, layered harmonies, and a relaxed, almost Americana-tinged rhythm is a compelling departure. However, at just a lean 23 minutes, the album is less of a feast and more a taste, leaving fans awaiting word on the possibility of a 77 pt. 2.
A proud Christian, Caleb Chapman delves into the introspective nature of the band’s most recent album in its press release, saying “77, the number, means a lot of things to a lot of people,” … “Biblically, it’s the number of forgiveness. Spiritually, it represents reassurance and provision. For us, it’s become a symbol of eternal perspective—a lens to look at love, loss, and life with a little more intention and remind us that we are right where we’re meant to be.” The album’s underlying sentiments of groundedness and reflection permeated the emotional tone of the night.
Colony House’s show was opened by southern fairy-lights pop/folk five-piece, Happy Landing. Dressed in aviator mechanic outfits, the group were nichely stylized in a rustic, almost cyber-punk aesthetic. The band’s unique lineup, featuring animated mandolin/violin player, a pink-haired bassist, and a charismatic, sleeve-rolled-up, cowboy-hat-wearing singer, left the crowd smiling, energized, and thoroughly charmed.
In addition to being technically talented players, Happy Landing were all beautiful singers, blending their deep south country roots with indie rock influences of Arcade Fire and Pixies. Likewise, their headlining counterparts clearly shared some of the same indie roots. In addition to Pixies and Arcade Fire, there were palpable traces of U2, Vampire Weekend, Backseat Lovers, and even Fun in their music.
Colony House asserted their presence from the very beginning as they took stage with new album’s soaring titular track, “77.” Two man-sized, neon sevens stood center-stage, changing color and oscillating with light as the moods changed from song to song. The band played almost the entirety of the new album, following their opener with new “Highwire.” Perhaps my favorite of the night came just a song later, with 77 pt. 1 single, “Telephone Pole,” which especially complemented Chapman’s far-ranging vocal abilities.
In addition to his vocal talent, Caleb was a charismatic performer, traveling up the stairs to the venue’s balcony and into the crowd several times. As is the case for many bands with siblings in the lineup, this show felt like a family affair, with Chapman stopping in the crowd to speak with fans—some of whom where at their first concert ever, while others were seasoned Colony House show attendees.
The climax of the evening came with Chapman’s solo acoustic performance of 2014 hit, “Moving Forward,” on a satellite stage, immersed in the crowd. This song has touched so many lives, none more than those of the band-members, so Chapman felt it fit that he stripped the song down to its very essence, presenting it in a new way, as its listers likewise are much changed than the way that they first heard the song. The show was a self-contained celebration of all that is Colony House, a testament to Colony’s evolution as artists, and their show of their enduring connection with fans.
SETLIST
- 77
- Highwire
- Silhouettes
- Telephone Pole
- Waiting for My Time to Come
- Would Ya Could Ya
- Ready To Go
- Do You Ever Feel
- I’m Not Dying
- You’re Right Where You’re Meant To Be
- When I was Younger
- Caught Me by Surprise
- El Capitan
- Cannonballers
- You & I
- What’s It Gonna Take
- Moving Forward
- Looking for Some Light
- You Know It
- OK OK OK OK
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