Black Taxi Live Review | BackBooth Orlando | November 15 2014

by Mitch Foster • December 5, 2014

The lead singer of Black Taxi, Ezra Huleatt, is a relentless performer. He went from trumpet to tambourine, to keyboard and glockenspiels, from quiet, clean vocals to yelling into a white megaphone. All the while maintained very little space unconquered on the stage.

Black Taxi is a band that was introduced to me a couple years ago when I was urged to attend a performance of theirs at Will’s Pub. The room wasn’t too full then, as it wasn’t recently when Norsekorea brought them to BackBooth. But, you sure-as-shit couldn’t tell, unless you somehow managed to peel your eyes away from the stage for a moment.

And if by chance you were able to peel those eyes of yours from that stage of theirs, you likely had a soft stare focused on the back of your eyelids, allowing your body to be engulfed by the electrifying energy being transferred from the speakers to your shoes.

Black Taxi effectively capture all of the dancy elements of indie rock while maintaining the aggressive feel of their punk-rock roots. And, they know how to party:

“About a year ago we were in Orlando at an after-after-after-party, after one of our shows, and we took a bunch of mushrooms and wrote this song.

– Huleatt spills before dedicating their next song, “House On Fire,” to Orlando.

“House On Fire,” a single they released in 2013, is one of my favorite songs by Black Taxi. Maybe it’s the way that I picture a smoke-filled exhale slowly dissipating as the song begins, but it makes me want to plant myself on the ground, belly up, and watch the sky go by while enjoying a perfectly rolled ~~joint~~. Check it out below. Play that shit LOUD.

<a href="http://blacktaxi.bandcamp.com/track/house-on-fire">House on Fire by BLACK TAXI</a>

Black Taxi invited Chris from local rock and roll favorites, Thomas Wynn And The Believers, on stage with them to play some soulful harmonica for a few songs, beginning with the title track off their new album, Electroshock Death Grip. It’s nice to see a national touring band receive local support from respectable artists in other cities.

As Black Taxi came to their encore, the night ended up just right. That alleyway around the corner was just right to spark up in. The room moved in all the right ways around me. That PBR hit my lips with the familiar taste of shitty. And Black Taxi charged us up to full, and sent us on our way.

Black Taxi | Nov 15 2014 | #BlackTaxi #showsigoto #Backbooth #norsekorea #DowntownOrlando @blacktaximusic

A video posted by Shows I Go To (@showsigoto) on Nov 16, 2014 at 11:52am PST

Electroshock Death Grip, release in September 2014, is Black Taxi’s third album. It masterfully captures their fun vibes while casually venturing towards a more funky style. Listen to the whole album below and catch these guys on tour.