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Tuesday night, Smallpools took the stage at 40 Watt and put on a performance filled with energy and passion, making it one of the best concerts I’ve seen in Athens so far.

As soon as they took the stage to “The Four Seasons”, 40 Watt was filled with an electric energy as the lead singer, Sean Scanlon, conducted the crowd while the rest of the band gradually added instrumentals to turn Vivaldi’s classic into a jamming tune. The exhilaration created by their intro continued throughout the show with the band’s banter with the crowd, explanations of songs, usage of fun props, and just rocking vibes.

Smallpools started out with the track “Over and Over,” a song from the band’s first release and self-titled EP. Definitely a crowd favorite, “Over and Over” got the entire crowd singing along and dancing. The excitement continued when they brought out a xylophone and glowing mallets for the instrumental introduction of “Mason Jar.” Several songs later, after a rad drum solo functioning as a break for the other band members, Smallpools sang their song “Karaoke” to the instrumentals of The Killers’ “Human.” Smallpools did another live mashup of “Lean On” with “Lean on Me,” complete with an iPad campfire and all acoustic instruments, including an acoustic bass. Later on, Scanlon disappeared from the stage, only to appear at the back of the crowd to walk through and dance with all of the fans in 40 Watt to “Lovetap!” Returning for their encore, Smallpools threw blow-up whales into the crowd to perform one of their singles “Killer Whales.” Of course for their last song of the night, they played their hit “Dreaming.”

Overall, Sean Scanlon, Mike Kamerman, Joe Intile, and Beau Kuther of Smallpools put on a show of wonderful music with an incredible stage presence. They even came out into the venue afterwards to meet their more enthusiastic fans. Everyone in the venue was smiling and dancing the entire show, really showing the positive power of music. Based off last night’s performance, it’s safe to say that Smallpools will be welcomed back as “A Real Hero” the next time they play a show in Athens.

By Tori Benes