XPN Fest Recap: Brownout’s takes on Black Sabbath and Latin rock keep dancing at a maximum

Brownout | photo by Wendy McCardle for WXPN

It would have been easy for everyone to just mail it in for Brownout‘s performance, which closed out Wiggins Park Friday evening. Just a few hundred yards away, Angel Olsen was wowing BB&T Pavilion. The crowd at the Marina Stage had thinned. Just don’t tell those who were smart enough to stick around. Brownout seemed to take them to another land.

Throughout the nine-piece’s set (nine!), the dancing was at a maximum. Brownout churned out some irresistible vibes for 40 minutes, and the crowd took to them well. They mixed the set with originals from a new EP and their own Latin rock spin on Black Sabbath classics. Yes, you read that correctly. It was awesome.

They had horns, they had more percussion instruments than you can picture on a small stage and they threw it all at you with passion and groove. Their name might sound like a dimmed-down version of the Black Sabbath brand, but if there was one thing we learned Friday, it’s that Brownout gives their fans a live show that is far from a lesser product.