Read Southall Band made their NC debut at The Gin Mill in Charlotte last Wednesday night.

Hailing from Stillwater, Oklahoma and fresh off the release of their first live album, Live at Tower Theatre, Read Southall Band took the stage at The Gin Mill in Charlotte before an engaging midweek crowd. On the rise and expanding their reach, many were on hand who were already familiar with the lyrics within Southall’s songs but witnessing a full live performance is an entirely different experience.

Originally scheduled to perform as part of the re-opening of Amos’ Southend, construction delays forced a change in location. Staying within the same building but moving into the restaurant portion, Southall and his band acclimated from performance venue to bar scene nicely.

Ahead of Kody West, the two bands joined forces for a two week span of their winter tour through the south and up the east coast. With stops in Tennessee, Georgia, both Carolinas, Washington DC and New York City, it’s safe to say both groups made many new fans along the way.

Heavy on drums and punishing guitar, the combination of Read Southall (lead vocals/guitar), John Tyler Perry (lead, rhythm guitar), Zac Copeland (rhythm, lead guitar) and Jeremee Knipp (bass) create a southern rock feel paired with penetrating lyrics while Reid Barber (drums) keeps everyone in line, in addition to creating some powerful openings.

Following a strong line of performers from the same region with a similar sound, Southall continues to forge his way into the scene with a proven track record and his own twist on story telling. The group featured fan favorites, ‘Why‘, ‘Clean Slate‘ and ‘Beautiful Eyes‘ in addition to ‘Animals‘ and ‘Gunshy‘ within their set list.

Entertaining bands continuing to build momentum, hopefully both Read Southall and Kody West make a return trip back east soon.