Last night in Columbus, it was a heavy 98° spring day. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power in the late afternoon, and are still without power as I write this. Unaware of the situation, I parked my car on the street and checked out the venue’s website. Where previously the page announced the show along with the opener’s name, it now read ‘The Unlikely Candidates is Still Happening’. 

It didn’t occur to me that this was going to be an outdoor performance until I approached a man with a lockbox checking for tickets in front of the venue.

I noticed drinks were still available inside Rumba Café as we were guided around via flashlight from the bartender. We ordered a beer, partially for the respite from the heat due to the lingering chill from the recently made inoperable AC.

Stepping onto the patio was pleasant for the first 23 seconds. Here we were told by other fans that the picnic bench against the fence (and adjacent to the Porta Kleens) might be the new stage. We took our place next to the abandoned merch table.

In true touring form, the band walked out about 20 minutes later than expected and took their place on the bowing table. There were several comments of how hot it was and back and fourth between the band and the crowd thanking each for still making it out to this intimate setting. 

Vocalist, Kyle Morris started their set by saying, “Let’s play some music … next to the Porta-John”, and introduced their first song. I can’t say it was enough to forget about the heat, but their performance was a refreshing spectacle.

The Unlikely Candidates have a studio sound that is akin to the latest trending indie sounds with a slight uptick of electronic vibes.

Panther Island, released earlier this year, is a collection of several singles released over the few years surrounding the pandemic. A few songs stemmed from the loneliness of the nationwide solitude over these years, but also transcended onto the new regular. Your Love Could Start a War was the perfect song to introduce us to the evening’s feel. 

Their live, and now acoustic performance, had just what I felt their recording was deficit. With just 3 guitars and one wooden block, they managed to allow me a greater appreciation of several songs I overlooked before.

The studio recordings do not do Kyle’s vocals justice. These recordings wash out some of the best aspects of his vocals. Kyle had an impressive and raw range. He was forced to exude more feeling from having to belt out the lyrics without a mic while being beaten down by the oppressive heat.

Admittedly, they had not played several of these songs acoustically before, but it meant nothing. Even the band members were pleasantly surprised by how some of their music translated in this stripped-down set.