A Night of Mystery with Qurious and Abandon the Earth Mission

Last Friday night was undoubtably a night of mystique and wonder, where flights of fancy took wing and soared into our ears! As I walked to the Caledonia through the icy darkness of downtown Athens, I thought I knew what to expect, having seen both bands before. I was unprepared, however, for the magic in store for those who braved the cold.

Qurious was up first, ready to give us a show that matched the band's name perfectly. A man and a woman with glowing faces appeared before a background of green stars and illuminated instruments as the atmospheric melodies wafted through the room. There is always a danger, with trance-inducing, ambient music like theirs, of being too repetitive, but Qurious never had this problem. Though each song had no concrete sound, every tune differed greatly from the one that preceded it. Nature sounds helped to create a peaceful, unique environment that bordered on the realm of the other-wordly. Their style could truly only be described as larger than life. As their set drifted to an end, they debuted for us a curious brand new tune with a very modern backing track that I really enjoyed. Quite an ethereal show!

Then Abandon the Earth Mission, one of my Athfest favorites, stepped onstage through a veil of fog and red lights. Mystical sounds surrounded the audience as they played their nearly tangible yet ever mysterious tunes. I felt as if I were soaring through space and time, stars flying beside me as as I listened. Adding a bit of rock guitar to the melodies, their style had an awesome hint of pop to it which I quite liked. Their sound never ceases to impress me. What an experience of the mind!

Without a doubt, this was an exquisite combination of bands and tunes! This show was definitely worth grappling with the vein-freezing weather to see.