Peter McPoland w/ Girl Tones at The Truman, Kansas City MO (2026-03-10)

Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day, Kansas City got “Big Lucky”–

Texas-raised indie folk/alt-rock singer-songwriter Peter McPoland came to town in support of his second studio album, Big Lucky, released last September (via West End/Stem) for a highly anticipated show at recordBar in downtown Kansas City.

Getting the evening started was the roaring Kentucky-raised sister grrrl duo, Girl Tones, who shed the elegant chamber sounds of the classically trained cello and piano lessons of their youth, to morph into the brash and resilient guitar and drum combo they are today, with raw and punkish lyrics to match their volume.

We caught the band live last year in Lawrence supporting The Velveteers, and the extended road time has allowed more time to hone their sonic craft. Single “Leave the City” was released late last year, and they started this year with the…err, volcanic track, “Volcano.” The pair were engaged from the beginning, asking everyone to clap along (or they’d stop playing), and reminiscing about their early touring and sleeping in their grandparents’ van, traveling from town to town.

Guitarist singer Kenzie Crowe mentioned the charged room being too hot for their jackets as sister Laila pounded away on the drum kit and they seemed eager to play the more raw and heavier material, determined to see a mosh pit by the end of their set, with Kenzie further inciting it all by jumping into the crowd for the final song.

After a set change and the hoisting of hand-painted backdrop canvas, Peter McPoland and band took to the stage, beginning not with a roar, but a pleasant whisper, joined by his band (Landon Laney- guitars; Josh Suarez- keys; and Joe Curtin- drums) all huddled in a semi-circle singing acapella.

Short of the severe weather and scattered hail, McPoland praised the local weather, remarking it was the so far on this leg (well, except for the tornado sirens and all, which mostly turned out to be a false alarm). He and the band were previously seen in KC at a much larger venue down the street, when they opened for Twenty-One Pilots back in 2022, also shouting out the local Messenger Coffee Co., where he and their band photographer, Chris, initially bonded.

McPoland’s lyrics are often personal and relatable, such as writing a song about his friend Kirby Weaver and playing Minecraft, and his universal themes of angst, growing up in a digital world, maintaining emotional health, and finding some hope in the daily chaos. When a crowd member shouted that it was her birthday, McPoland and band, of course led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday,’ and it’s that kind of casual relatability and honest approachability, that keeps his fan base ever growing.

McPoland connected with the crowd, and the audience returned the favor, leaning on the older songs, but embracing those from Big Lucky as well, that were peppered into the setlist.

The band reverted to acapella one last time, and cell phone lights lit up the room (ironically?) during “Digital Silence” as McPoland emotively sang, “Something you love turns to something you miss, something you say turns to something you mean.”

Near the end of the set, McPoland glowed, saying that he and the band had a great night, commenting it was “the first night of the rest of (his) f**king life!” and that there would be no encore, that “this is your encore” getting the crowd loud for the image-evoking lyrics of 2024’s “A Place Like This.”

Most in the crowd were catching their breath after the band’s stage departure, reflecting on the performance just seen, and maybe feeling a bit Big Lucky, having seen the electricity of Peter McPoland live in an intimate club, just as a storm passed by outside.

ALL REPORTING AND PHOTOS BY BRANDON CLASEN

National / International act coming through the Midwest / Kansas City area? Please email details to johnc@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time to be considered for Show Preview and Show Coverage consideration.