St. Paul and the Broken Bones rose out of Birmingham, Alabama, mixing church-schooled vocals with brass-forward Southern soul and a streak of art-pop curiosity.

Southern gospel in a modern frame

Across Half the City, The Alien Coast, and Angels in Science Fiction, they have moved from punchy stompers to dreamy, percussive textures while keeping the groove deep. Expect a set anchored by Call Me, Flow with It (You Got Me Feeling Like), Apollo, and Broken Bones and Pocket Change, with a few left-turn covers tucked between. You will see a cross-section of crate-diggers, college kids, and rock lifers leaning into call-and-response and clapping on the backbeat. Trivia: Paul Janeway trained for the pulpit and nearly left music for finance before reconnecting with bassist Jesse Phillips. Another note: they once opened for The Rolling Stones, which sharpened their sense of dynamics in big rooms. You might catch Janeway roaming the aisles with a tambourine during a slow-burn number.

Take this as a sketch, not a script

Treat the set and production details here as informed guesses based on past shows, not fixed promises.

Sunday-Best Meets Dive-Bar: The St. Paul and the Broken Bones Scene

Vintage flair without fuss

You will spot sharp suits, thrifted blazers, bolo ties, and sparkly jackets next to jeans and well-worn boots. A few people bring retro handkerchiefs they wave when the horns swell, a little nod to the church roots.

Rituals you can hear

Chants pop up between songs, and call-and-response comes easy when a chorus repeats three times. Merch leans classic: bold tour posters with stained-glass motifs, soft tees, and vinyl editions of Half the City or Angels in Science Fiction. Many fans collect the show poster, compare notes on favorite deep cuts, and trade stories about first hearing Call Me. Solos get real applause, especially from the horn line and keys, and the room stays respectful during ballads before jumping back on the backbeat. It feels communal and grounded, more like a neighborhood party shaped by music than a scene chasing trends.

Horns, Heat, and How the Songs Breathe with St. Paul and the Broken Bones

The voice at the center

Paul Janeway drives the show with a high, church-bred belt that can drop to a hush and jump to a bright falsetto in a bar or two. Arrangements leave air around the vocal, with guitar and keys sketching chords while the horns answer phrases rather than crowd them. The rhythm section favors steady, unshowy patterns that let the tempo sit deep, then snaps accents to lift refrains.

Little choices, big impact

A common stage move is a full-band dropout to just voice and tambourine, which makes the return hit feel extra heavy. On songs like Apollo, the bridge can stretch a bit live, building tension on a single bass note before the horn line crashes back in. Tones lean warm and vintage, and lighting follows suit with saturated reds and amber backlights that make the brass glow. You are there for musical arc first, with visuals framing dynamics rather than stealing the moment.

If You Like St. Paul and the Broken Bones: Kindred Roadmates

Soul revival, varied shades

Fans of St. Paul and the Broken Bones often cross over with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, who bring bar-band punch and shout-along hooks to modern soul. Durand Jones & The Indications appeal for their satin falsetto and steady mid-tempo grooves that prize pocket over flash. Black Pumas share a cinematic, psychedelic streak that pairs well with the band's spacier cuts. Brittany Howard connects on raw, gospel-tinged vocals and fearless arrangement choices. If you like brass that lifts the chorus, unhurried builds, and a little grit around the edges, these shows live in the same neighborhood. Expect overlap in crowd energy too, with patient listening during ballads and big collective shouts when the drums open up.