Although Echosmith’s members may be young—the oldest member, Jamie, is only 21—they perform as if they’ve had decades of experience. Forming in 2009, the band has only released one record, Talking Dreams, but their leading single, “Cool Kids,” has already gone double-Platinum. For their headlining tour with The Colourist, Echosmith stopped by the Newport Music Hall to perform on March 8th, 2015.

The Colourist

The ColouristThe Colourist Also forming in 2009, and with only one album under their belts, The Colourist were the perfect choice for Echosmith’s supporting act. The Colourist has power pop songs, similar to Echosmith’s, but they put an interesting experimental twist on the genre, even referring to their music as “math pop.” Opening with “Yes Yes,” the group immediately propelled the crowd into feverish dance moves. It was impossible to resist their catchy songs, and even though the crowd may not have known enough of the band’s catalog to sing along, the instantly energetic audience proved that The Colourist are definitely doing something right.

The ColouristThe Colourist

Echosmith

EchosmithEchosmith Even after seeing Echosmith multiple times (once during their performance in 2013 at Columbus’ A&R Music Bar, and once during last summer’s Warped Tour), their live show never ceases to amaze me. Starting with “Ran Off in the Night,” Echosmith held nothing back with their lively performance.  At one point the band invited two audience members to dance on stage, and later on, Sydney (frontwoman) invited another audience member on stage and conducted a “Happy Birthday” sing-along for his 17th birthday. Towards the end of their set, the band did slow down a bit for a performance of their newest single, “Bright,” even including a cello, and an a cappella chorus. The band also used various creative stage props, including an umbrella for Sydney, and exploding translucent beach balls (filled with confetti), that were thrown into the audience. The entire concert was invigorating, and kept audience members wondering what would happen next.

EchosmithEchosmith It’s inspiring to see a young band transition from performing as a supporting act at small venues, to headlining a tour with sold-out shows across the US. The release of their newest single, “Bright,” will surely catapult them even further in their career, and you’d be doing yourself an extreme disservice if you didn’t check them out on their upcoming tour dates, or at least take a listen to Talking Dreams.