Quarters of Change, alternative rock band from New York City, open their tour with a bang at The Broadberry in Richmond, Virginia.  

Reading the stage from left to right, features Ben Acker on rhythm guitar, Attila Anrather on drums, Ben Roter on lead vocals, and Jasper Harris on lead guitar, and Taylor Morris on bass. Ben Roter, the lead singer, has this sense of ‘cool guy factor’ that is so authentic and unique to any other rockstar I’ve seen.

As someone who has seen Quarters of Change 5 times just this year, no experience at a show is the same. This is dependent on where you are; at Lollapalooza, their aftershow, on their first leg of the Portraits tour or the second. The energy of Quarters of Change is infectious, and the energy of the crowd transfers back to the band.

This band has a well-understood grasp on the highs and lows that can be created through carefully crafted sets. This can absolutely be seen in contrast from Portraits Tour I that took place in the spring, and the Portraits II tour this fall. The intensity of each song played one after the other had no similar beat. As well as this, these moments of intense changes in moods were created by multiple interludes and moments for Jasper to freestyle riff. 

Another way they completed this is by teasing their hit song, ‘T Love’ halfway through the set. As this song is one of their more well known ones, it’s expected that that song would be played closer to the end. However, Ben Acker on guitar leads an acapella version, then joined by Jasper and Ben Roter. This smart move heightened the energy in the entire venue leading up to their following song.

QoC have a special talent of transforming every venue they play at into the feel of a DIY basement show; authentic to their beginning days. This matches perfectly with the common Richmond culture of house and basement-produced music events. 

One way they achieve this is their touring Lighting Designer. The set was illuminated entirely on back lighting, strobing, and simple washes. Although there was a lack of color, the visual interest was strobing sensitive to the beat, illuminating different members during different parts, and intimidators lighting directly into the crowd. The only instance of color used during this set is towards the end; replacing all white lights entirely with red for ‘Keep My Blood.’

First trying this out at select shows on their first half of the Portraits tour in the spring, the band experimented performing older songs that got replaced for newer songs; this includes Ms. Dramatic, Rift, Dead, and last but certainly not least; Chloe. Chloe seemed to stick with the band, as their first regular occurrence of that song being performed began at their aftershow at Lollapalooza. As of now, Chloe is a permanent resident on the Portraits Tour II set.

For those still awaiting their Quarters of Change set; show your support for the band by participating in a fan project created by the official QoC headquarters; FinishLefty.  Named the ‘QoC Vision’ the project is summarized by decorating sunglasses to wear to a show. Each night, a fan with the best decorated glasses may have a chance to win free merchandise. For sunglass inspiration, or to see examples of the band’s take on the challenge, please visit the FinishLefty Instagram.

The band finishes the night with their most anticipated song; T Love. The crowd explodes with shouting the lyrics, fist bumping, and a mild-looking mosh pit towards the back.

This leaves 2 songs for the highly suspected encore. One cannot go to a QoC show and not hear Kiwi; debatably, the song that put the band on the map. The encore begins with Jasper entering the stage alone and showing off a slow riff with synth. Later to be joined with the rest of his band, the iconic opening riff begins and the crowd goes wild.

Quarters of Change close out the night with Rift; a song that showcases their name and a chance to heckle with the crowd, earning some callback from them. This song perfectly captures the summary of QoC; hardcore, funky, and intense moments of high’s and lows. In my opinion, despite the popularity of their high song T Love, Rift is the perfect closer to the show.

Whether this is your 5th Quarters of Change show (like mine) or just the first, this show has something for everyone. Limited tickets are left for many shows on this tour; pick them up while you still have the chance!