{"id":237933,"date":"2026-04-07T00:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T00:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/237933\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T00:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T00:18:10","slug":"on-stage-cannons-in-austin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/237933\/","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Cannons in Austin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: All photos are courtesy of 360\u00b0Sound contributor Justin Zamudio. Scroll to the bottom of the article to view the full photo gallery, which includes shots of opener Oxis and co-headliner Bob Moses.<\/p>\n

On Friday, April 3, Cannons brought their effortlessly cool synth-pop sounds and retro aesthetics to the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas, the third stop on \u201cThe Afterglow Tour.\u201d A crescent moon prop hung above the stage, and a screen flashed \u201880s-inspired neon lights in the color scheme of their just-released fifth album, Everything Glows. The guitarist and rhythm section walked out on stage first, all wearing sunglasses as the sun had yet to set, and they promptly locked into the groove for opener \u201cLoving You.\u201d The crowd erupted as lead singer Michelle Joy took the stage.<\/p>\n

For the uninitiated, Cannons is an electropop trio formed in 2013 in Los Angeles and consisting of Joy, guitarist Ryan Clapham, and bassist\/drummer Paul Davis. Davis is manning the kit this tour, and Jade Fink was brought on to play bass. The band has exploded in popularity over the last five years and notched a handful of Billboard Alternative Airplay hits.<\/p>\n

\"\"Cannons perform at the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas, on April 3. [Credit: Justin Zamudio]<\/p>\n

At the Austin show, Joy wore a white lace dress and white leather boots. The drizzle that had started during the opening act Oxis had ceased, and the spring temperature was perfect. The breeze blew Joy\u2019s curly blonde locks as she glided through \u201cStarlight,\u201d a cut from the new album.<\/p>\n

The opening guitar notes of \u201cHurricane\u201d drew immediate cheers and applause. Joy fed off the energy of the crowd, pumping her fist and falling to her knees as she sang the chorus: \u201cI\u2019m comin\u2019 back like a hurricane\/I\u2019m gonna take you higher.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joy told the crowd they\u2019d been away from touring for a year and were so excited to have \u201cfinally finished\u201d their new album and to be sharing the bill with co-headliner Bob Moses. The new songs sounded terrific live, but the crowd, while not exactly filing to the bathroom, looked a bit disengaged during them. As is often the case, the old hits were met with sing-alongs, while some of the new material got head bobs at best.<\/p>\n

\"\"Cannons perform at the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas, on April 3. [Credit: Justin Zamudio]<\/p>\n

\u201cThese Nights,\u201d one of my favorites from Everything Glows, began with a sparkly keyboard line, and stars suddenly appeared on the screen behind the band. Joy belted the catchy chorus (\u201cThese nights, I fear I\u2019m going under\u201d) and smirked as she delivered the \u201cDid I lose my thunder?\u201d line. Clapham ripped a smooth, AOR-esque guitar solo and finished the tune with funky, Chic-like chopping. I would\u2019ve liked more solos and improvisation, but that\u2019s not the group\u2019s style, as they kept the performances close to the recordings.<\/p>\n

\u201cPurple Sun\u201d packed a reggae punch with its percussive, staccato rhythm and dubby bass. The young woman standing behind me was clearly feeling the island riddim as she lit up a spliff and swayed to and fro. \u201cBaby, I\u2019m just having fun,\u201d Joy sang, and she seemed to have more fun as the set went along, evidenced by her increasing stage movement.<\/p>\n

\"\"Michelle Joy [Credit: Justin Zamudio]<\/p>\n

After performing the disco-inflected \u201cI Get Weak,\u201d Joy talked about the very first time Cannons performed in a tiny bar over a decade ago. \u201cI was terrified,\u201d Joy said. She sounded genuinely in awe at how much the band has blown up in recent years. \u201cI had no idea what we\u2019re doing would end up speaking to so many people,\u201d she said, as Clapham pointed his finger in the air as if to say, \u201cThat part!\u201d Later, when Joy introduced the band, Clapham played a quick riff from Depeche Mode\u2019s \u201cPersonal Jesus,\u201d no doubt a nod to their \u201880s synth-pop influences.<\/p>\n

Cannons closed the show with new single \u201cLight as a Feather\u201d and quarter-billion Spotify streams smash \u201cFire For You.\u201d \u201cSing it with me, Austin!\u201d Joy shouted. I looked around at the raised hands and jubilant faces as the crowd obliged: \u201cFire! It\u2019s on fire! Fire! It\u2019s on fire!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Ryan Clapham [Credit: Justin Zamudio]<\/p>\n

The 16-song set was sure to satisfy any fan of the band \u2013 they played all the hits, and the new album was well represented. Joy was in fine voice, the band sounded tight, and the mix at the amphitheater was well-balanced.<\/p>\n

Cannons have a distinct sound that is on the chill side and can at times sound a bit same-y. But to be fair, they\u2019re more about vibes and grooves than rockin\u2019 your face off with dynamics and theatrics. The show improved visually as the sun went down and the neon lights popped \u2013 not to mention their ethereal synthwave-meets-dream-pop style is tailor-made for nighttime. If you\u2019re a Cannons fan, or even if you\u2019re merely Cannons curious, be sure to catch them on \u201cThe Afterglow Tour.\u201d You won\u2019t be disappointed.<\/p>\n

Follow Cannons on their website: cannonstheband.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo Gallery<\/p>\n

All photos courtesy of Justin Zamudio<\/p>\n

Cannons<\/p>\n

\"\"Michelle Joy [Credit: Justin Zamudio] <\/p>\n

\"\"Jade Fink [Credit: Justin Zamudio]<\/p>\n

\"\"Paul Davis [Credit: Justin Zamudio]<\/p>\n

\"\"Ryan Clapham [Credit: Justin Zamudio]<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Bob Moses<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Oxis<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s Note: All photos are courtesy of 360\u00b0Sound contributor Justin Zamudio. Scroll to the bottom of the article…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":237934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":{"0":"post-237933","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-austin","9":"tag-austin-headlines","10":"tag-austin-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}