By: Megan McGinnis

Edited by: Abby McNatt

Boston-based band Couch took the stage in Pittsburgh last night, opening for guitarist Cory Wong on his North American and European tour. This was my third time seeing them and my second time seeing them open for another artist, but for all three shows, they’ve been the star of the show. And I swear… every working musician in Pittsburgh played hookey to be at this concert. Affectionately called “band-kid core” in our household, Couch has rapidly grown to one of my favorites in the scene.

Couch opened their set with a one-two punch of Still Feeling You back-to-back with Saturday which instantly set the tone of the night. Their combination of bright horns, cozy vocals, and overall modern jazz sounds, snapped the crowd into their dancing shoes. They snuck a new slower song into their set next that gave me similar vibes as Black Bear Lane, but the name for that song is yet to be released. Other songs from the night included Poems, Jessie, Easy to Love, and (I Wanted) Summer With You, along with covers of Sorry by Justin Bieber and Conjunction Junction from Schoolhouse Rock. See what I mean by band-kid core?

After Couch’s set, I got a text from one of my friends who was in the front row: “That pissed me off.” When I asked him what he meant, he elaborated to say it was because their set was so good. I heard similar feedback from all of the hookey-playing musicians I ran into, including one who said “every local musician immediately went home and practiced for 5 hours that night.”

Later in the show, Tema Siegel (vocals) joined Cory Wong on stage for a few songs, including an excellent cover of Ain’t It Fun by Paramore. I’ve heard dozens of people cover this song over the years and I can confidently say this was absolutely my favorite; with a full horn section and Tema’s vocals, you simply can’t go wrong.

Couch is finishing up this leg of the tour in the next week with final shows in the midwest US region. In January, they’ll be heading across the pond for another 16 shows supporting Cory Wong.

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