The snow was flurrying outside on a chilly Wednesday evening. Inside the Grog Shop, youngish outcasts were waiting patiently for a pre-Thanksgiving feast. This wasn’t a feast of turkeys and too much wine. No, it was a feast for the ears. A sonic feast, if you will. That feast was, of course, the Grammy-winning act Portugal. The Man. And oh, what a feast it was.
Portugal. The Man is currently on tour promoting their latest album, ‘Shish’ (11.07.25; Thirty Tigers). These shows are all in small, intimate venues. “They’re playing the Grog Shop?!” That’s all I heard in the days leading up to the show. People, of course, are in disbelief because this band could easily play a large venue. But that’s not what this tour is about. Instead, this is one of energetic fervor in intimate venues.
And they did not disappoint. They kicked off the set with the latest single off the new album, a full-throttle rendition of “Denali.” The first “Act” of the set consisted of eight songs from the latest album, played in the same order as the album. They eventually played the final two songs from the album as the encore, making it feel like a bit of an album-release party.
The stage show was quite the spectacle. There was a total of seven musicians on stage. Maybe eight? I lost count at times, to be honest. There was minimal lighting that flashed periodically and spun around in a somewhat disorienting fashion. It felt like fans were seeing a show at a friend’s place, like a house show, which also felt like the point.
Portugal. The Man could easily sell out the Agora (roughly 5x capacity), but, like most indie acts, they have to prefer the intimate shows. The only difference is that they book these intimate venues, even if they don’t have to. You could see why. It felt like this was something special, for all the reasons previously listed. It felt like being let in on something secret.
The entire set was terrific, but standout songs included “Senseless,” which shows their ability to write a catchy hook and chorus when they really feel like it, even if that isn’t the goal of their sound. Another was “Father, Gun,” the final song of the evening, which let them get a bit weird but still jam out.
While quite a few people occupied the tiny stage, most of the band was made up of touring musicians. The main crux of PTM is the husband-and-wife duo/co-lead singers, John Gourley and Zoe Manville, who sang most of the songs together. They were center stage and mostly faced one another when not singing, or during the brief moments when Gourley spoke into the mic.
The energy was so palpable that there were times when you wondered if the venue could contain the band or if they were going to blow the roof off the place. It was an experience I was glad to witness. You can only hope they’ll keep these tiny-venue shows going. It also had the added benefit of really selling me on the album. I was all in.
The opener was a standout surprise of the evening as well. A quartet out of California called La Luz, who play what they call ”Surf Noir.” Cramped on stage amongst all the equipment, they managed to really rock it out, with mini choreography and lots of fun. Maryam Qudus backed lead singer/guitarist Shana Cleveland on keys, Lee Johnson on bass, and the quite phenomenal Audrey Johnson on drums. Check them out the next chance you get.
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