Geese Fly South to Houston’s White Oak Music Hall for Their Getting Killed Tour

For anyone tapped into any indie-rock sphere, September meant being inundated with Geese media amidst the release of their newly released Getting Killed album, an emphatic sound palette of sincerity and restlessness that pulls a thematic thread through the mesh of today’s cultural mayhem. Fans have eagerly been sharing enough live performance recordings to convert troves of others amidst the North American leg of their Getting Killed tour, contributing to the Geese mania. 

Performing for a sold-out show at White Oak Music Hall’s downstairs stage on November 6th, 2025, people trickled into the line starting around 3:30 pm to catch a barricade spot for the show (myself included). Some fans were willing to do more than just line up early though: alongside me were fans who drove from Nacadoches, sauntered over from Florida, and even hitched a plane ride from Georgia because the plane ticket cost less than a resale ticket of the band’s Atlanta show. All this information, I admit, I pilfered with a wandering ear and must instead credit to the proficient conversationalist skills of Lancy, a friend of friends I befriended while waiting in line. Folks young and old collected amidst the rare display of Houston autumnal weather, vibrating with buzzing anticipation for a band already riding a historic run. 

Once inside the venue, pre-show meant listening to Margo Guryan, Beachwood Spark’s “By Your Side,” and cursing the beings above for having an opener (Dove Ellis) stand between us and the Geese show. Spoiler alert: this impatience was massively displaced and totally misguided. The second Dove Ellis began to sing, a lull of ubiquitous wonder for the tender display on stage fell over a quiet audience. Accompanied by Fred Donlon-Mansbridge on the clarinet and Matthew Deakin on the drums, the trio sounded as if a Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright, and Thom Yorke hybrid found its way to a Black Country, New Road studio session (compliment). Playing “To The Sandals,” “Love Is,” “Pale Song,” and other songs yet to be released on streaming sites, the warm performance actually left me wanting more by the end of every song. Upon their stage exit, I considered myself perfectly charmed by the group and redirected my impatience towards Dove Ellis’ debut album set to release this December; I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for indie music’s next earnest darling. (Edit from the future: Dove Ellis’ Blizzard is a gift that should be your backtrack for every winter season.)

Finally, emerging under blue lights without a word, Geese started their Houston show with “Husbands,” assembling themselves throughout the song with Max Bassin’s steady drumming pulse, Cameron Winter’s creaking bellow for a voice, Dominic DiGesu’s undercurrent bass rhythm, and eventually Emily Green’s sleepy alternating riffs that felt like a pulling. It was a special song to start out with, drawing out receptive echoes from the crowd in the last chorus: “falling apart, falling apart.” Followed by spritely performances of “Cobra” and the album’s title track “Getting Killed,” the fontanelle beginning formed a clearing for what was to come.

I do believe Geese creates an unconventional kind of accessibility through their ability to immerse the listener into a world entirely characterized by their unique sound. The rough-edged absurdity their songs can spiral into sets the expectations high for live performances, and luckily for the audience, it is in these high energy songs that Geese’s live performance massively delivered. Songs like “Bow Down” and the highly anticipated “Trinidad” showcased the band’s characteristic chaos through Bassin’s crashing cymbals and Green’s eccentric guitar compositions, revving engines to the point of swelled audience collapse. Word to the wise: when you pick a stranger up from the ground, avoid placing your hand directly into the hollow of their deodorized armpit. Previous 3D Country fan favorites like “2122,” “Undoer,” and “Cowboy Nudes” prompted exchanges of energy between crowd and stage with roaring responses to Sam Revaz’s Keytar reveal and refreshing iterations of well-loved Geese classics. If I were to note a special moment, it would be during their “100 Horses” performance, which was sardonically introduced by Winter as a song written with Houston in mind. Feeling bodies shove to his droning “There is only dance music in times of war…” felt eerily on the nose, and I wonder if I imagined the collective self-awareness of a dancing crowd.

The more sentimental performances of songs like “Au Pays du Cocaine” and “Domoto” were affectionately crooned by Winter and backed by his keyboard playing, the latter being partially performed while sitting on the stage floor and the former being as satisfyingly depressing as we all hoped for. The band proved that they know how to pull the reigns as much as they know how to abandon them. The verbal altercation occurring during “Au Pays Du Cocaine,” one of the most tender songs of the set, added a nice Houstonian touch to the experience, as well. Despite the band’s noticeable concern during the interaction, something akin to a prayer crossed my mind: God bless this sacred city!

Geese’s live performance at Houston’s White Oak Music Hall made the already eccentric listening experience of their Getting Killed record all the more energetically impassioned, forcing fans to contort their bodies to the music like those creating it on stage. Winter’s wide straddle and sonorous baritone voice, Green’s locking knees wrangling her guitar, Max Bassin’s relentless attacking of his drum set, and Dominic DiGesu playing the role of the stoic bassist: the band’s physicality added another frenzied face to the already multi-faceted group. Buying into the “next big thing” can feel cheap, but Geese’s performance legitimized the hype projecting them as a band worthy of the attention. Watching them comfortably reign the stage was like discovering another limb to the record, an experience I highly recommend snatching if you get the chance.