S O H N Lessons

S O H N, you are a musical beast.  Last night at San Francisco's The Rickshaw Stop, the Vienna-based artist commanded the stage, reminding attendees what a live music experience should be like.

With a voice sounding like the child of Thom Yorke and James Blake, S O H N played with two supporting musicians armed with keyboards, laptops, and guitars.  The set lasted about an hour and was an enormous, emotive waterfall of sound.  Moving through his library with professional ease, the crowd was gifted with astonishingly powerful renditions of with "Bloodflows," "Red Lines," "Oscillate," and "Warnings." The air was tense and thick with each thunderous beat, as if you could almost breathe the pulsating notes.

The power of his instrumentals is perfectly offset by the delicate, honest nature of his voice and lyrics.  The three musicians all donned black hoodies and kept focused on the monstrous music they were creating, leaving all gimmicks and lasers behind.  Basic fog, a strobe here and there, and some simple lights perfectly enhanced the music on a visual level.  S O H N laid himself bare on the stage as his performance spoke for itself.

Rounding out the set with beautifully danceable versions of "Lessons" and "The Wheel," we left the venue with a cleansed sense of fulfillment, the best thing you can ask from a show.  S O H N, San Francisco hopes to see you again soon.