High Horse Heaven Tour: Emarosa, VEAUX, Dreamfone
Emarosa brought their "high horse heaven tour" to Nectar Lounge in Seattle on September 30th, 2026. The tour highlights their April 2026 album and marks the alt-pop band's first time back to Seattle in nearly 3 years. This was the final show of their 7 week tour which began in California and made its way all around the country before finishing up back on the west coast. They were joined by openers VEAUX and dreamfone. Emarosa was an opener at the first alternative show I ever attended just over 10 years ago so I was very interested to see the difference an entire decade made!
The venue was beautiful and provided a perfect setting for the night. I had never been to Nectar Lounge before but had high expectations based on what I'd heard about the place. After what felt like forever looking for street parking nearby, I made it in with only 2 minutes to spare before the music started. The stage was inside as well as a balcony, but there was also a patio that opened up with a giant garage style door which made for a very picturesque evening that kind of felt like a movie. The fog machines were working on overdrive though so it was very smokey in there, which I'm never a big fan of.
Dreamfone was up first and they did a great job setting the tone for the night. They are also an alt-pop band, formed in California in 2021. I hadn't heard of this band until the tour was announced but have learned a few songs since then and was looking forward to hearing them live. The set opened with "sleepover" which is actually the song I was most excited to hear from them. They continued with songs like "only heartbreak" and "sad no more." Then the crowd was audibly excited as dreamfone began singing their cover of "Taste" by Sabrina Carpenter, which they did an awesome job on. I noticed a couple people go onto their Spotify and save the song as it was playing. The 7 song set ended with their most popular song "talking to myself" before the band said a quick thank you and exited the stage. Their sound is pretty similar to Emarosa so they fit the bill of this tour perfectly.
Up next was VEAUX, a now Nashville based alt-pop trio formed somewhere between 2011-2016 in Colorado. Another band I wasn't super familiar with going into the night but had high hopes for as I've heard from several people that they put on a great show. They did not dissappoint! There were quite a few fans in the audience dancing and singing every word. Opening their set with "Come Through," they went on to play 11 total songs and had the crowd dancing the whole time. My favorite song they played was "Strawberry Blues" which does happen to be their most streamed song, for good reason. They had some fun banter with each other and the crowd throughout the set, keeping the audience engaged between songs. Vocalist Aaron Wagner made a comment about loving Seattle and wishing he could move there. We do have a pretty great city! Their set concluded with "Rah Tah Tah" which seemed like a slightly different vibe from the rest of their songs but I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt it was a great way to end the set. I think this band has big things in their future!
Rounding out the night, Emarosa put on a fun and upbeat performance. The band has a very long history, originally formed in Kentucky in 2006 under a different name. They have been through different members and different genres over the years, but I think they finally landed on a sound that they really love and that shines through on stage. Right away I just want to say, singer Bradley Scott Walden has insanely impressive vocals, I was blown away. They began the set with their song "The Edge" which opens with a short spoken word intro that makes for a perfect stage entrance. As soon as the first words were sang, the crowd was jumping and screaming the lyrics back at the band. They played a few songs off their 2019 album "Peach Club" including "Don't Cry." The song was introduced after they sang happy birthday to a crowd member before asking him "are you mad? Don't cry!" And then the song began. It was a hilarious play on words, which was a theme for the night as they had just the right amount of jokes and crowd interaction between songs to keep things entertaining. My personal favorite off Peach Club was also played, "Cautious." That song is constantly stuck in my head so hearing it live for the first time was really cool. They played almost every song off their 2026 album "High Horse Heaven" including "Moon And Back" which is a very special song that was written from the perspective of being a parent and everything you do being for your kids. There was just 1 song off their 2023 album "Sting," but they picked the best one in my opinion, "Stay." The show was supposed to have a 2 song encore, but they just ended up playing straight through it instead of doing the "leave the stage but keep the lights off so everyone knows you're coming back" fakeout that usually comes with an encore. I appreciated that, as I am not a fan of that kind of encore. Those 2 songs were "Givin' Up" and "Sure," with that last one being off their 2016 album "131" which has an incredibly special place in my heart. It's probably one of my favorite albums of all time, and one of the first I owned on vinyl. I never got to see any of these songs live so I was really happy to hear one this night!
Overall it was a great lineup that made for a very fun night in Seattle. The band was even kind enough to stay and meet anyone whk wanted to say hi after the show. I will admit I have been feeling a little burned out from shows lately, but this night helped to revitalize my love for live music. Bradley said it was his favorite Seattle show yet! I hope to see them back in the PNW soon.
Photos & Review By: Hailey Hazen
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