Hällas & Freeways at the Pour House

I first learned of the progressive-rock band Hällas back in 2017 via a Priest Spotify radio station. Priest is a completely different genre of music, but both are from Sweden so I guess that’s how Spotify was linking the two. The song Star Rider played and that was it. I immediately wanted more. At the time they had one EP and one LP, and I probably listened to both on repeat for a solid week. Of course I hoped to one day see them live. Then this pandemic thing hit the globe, and I just accepted I’d never get the chance.

Over the Covid pandemic, Hällas wasted no time, writing and recording two more albums, Conundrum and Isle of Wisdom. Both continuing with their 70s progressive-rock style that they have dubbed Adventure Rock. You can watch a behind the scenes making of Conundrum on YouTube.

Earlier this year, Hällas did a small west coast tour of the US which, of course, got me excited. I couldn’t make it to any of those shows, so I patiently awaited an east coast tour announcement.

The only booked show in North Carolina was at the Pour House in Raleigh, on a Tuesday. As the date grew closer I eventually asked my buddy Gregg if I could crash at his place and to see if he’d like to go. To my surprise, Gregg liked what he heard and was interested. Mitch isn’t that into the band, so he stayed home.

The show did not disappoint. The setlist was full of favorites and the sound was spot on. I’d never been to the Pour House but I will absolute go back. It’s also a record shop! Freeways were a lot of fun. I’d never heard of these guys, but they have absolutely nailed the classic rock sound and energy. Electrifying solos and heady guitar riffs.

This was also the first outing with the Summilux Pre-Aspherical and I was kind of blown away by the results. I shot almost the entire show wide-open at f/1.4, fully expecing extra-soft photos. To my surprise the softness was a non-issue, likely due to the sharpness of digital files. And the glow! It really shined with the stage lights reflecting off of surfaces. The flare elevated a couple of photos, too. I was not expecting that. Example:

How cool is that? With some minor editing, the Pre-Aspherical really gave these digital files a 70s glam-rock look.

Unfortunately the lights were a bit dim during Hällas, so I didn’t get much flaring during their set. Still pretty happy with these. I have no idea how I shot almost 500 photos with quite possibly the slowest style of camera ever made, but that happened.

Cannot wait to see them again!