A small crowd meandered into the Knightspot Thursday night as the Syracuse-based band Long Since Forgotten warmed up their equipment.
At 8 p.m., the crowd was asked to stand closer to the band. Hot off the release of their new album, The Theft, Josh Coy, Caleb Coy, Jeff French and Steve Stockin seemed energized to play for a couple dozen, quiet Geneseo students.
The alternative indie-rock outfit showcased many songs off The Theft. The slow, soulful tune, "Vegas," displayed the quiet, emotional side of the group, while other songs like "Amy Racecar" stimulated some movement in the tranquil audience.
A handful of songs off previous albums were also played, providing contrast to the different sound of their new LP and showing the band's growth over the years. Long Since Forgotten appeared content to be playing at the small venue, displaying their ease in joking with the students, and issuing a request to know everyone's name before starting their set.
The musical style of the group, driven by influences from the Smashing Pumpkins to Ray Charles, evokes characteristics of '80s and '90s rockers.
Most of the new songs played Thursday night featured soulful, harmonious vocals sung by the two brothers. Josh, the lead guitarist, and Caleb, the bassist, belted their voices over the weak PA system while Stockin relentlessly drove each song with his catchy, cheerful and upbeat drumming.
French's rhythmic strumming crafted a droning effect, suggestive of a softer Foo Fighters or Armor for Sleep. They fuse this sound with a modern, indie-rock element to ultimately come up with something quite unique.
Although the turnout was low, the audience's satisfaction with the band was readily apparent and grew perpetually as the night went on.
Prior to the show, Long Since Forgotten described the massive amounts of effort put into promoting the band and touring, which looks to pay off in the near future. As Josh put it, "We have a great team behind us."
Their Raleigh, N.C.-based label, Evo Records, plans to help Long Since Forgotten tour the East Coast this year to promote their new album, which has been in stores since Aug. 21.
The band followed up their Geneseo gig with a release show in Syracuse on Sept. 1., a gig that also saw a performance by Caleb's side project along with a handful of other local area bands.
Josh said he believes that the new album displays some of the band's best compositions and hopes it will promote the group for the future.