It’s been over a week since we stopped by the Bootleg in LA, and we’re still reveling in the funk/rock/blues/dance glory of Austin’s Bright Light Social Hour. They absolutely killed it.
The foursome put out their self-titled debut album in 2011, and have been gaining traction in the indie scene with support of their loyal fans. SXSW was a total win for them, and we’re so glad to have caught them again on this tour. Not only does Bright Light Social Hour belt out some furious riffs and sexy lyrics …(The day that I met you, Workin’ side by side, At that moment I knew I’d work for you, ‘Til the day I died.”-Detroit)…they also have an ease about them that immediately gets the crowd dancing & clapping along. Take a listen to “Back and Forth” … yeah, try not to chant along.
You can always tell when a group gets off on jamming for an audience, and the guys seemed to really enjoy the night. Like their 60’s & 70’s influences, you need to experience Bright Light Social Hour live…partly because a large percentage of their set-list wasn’t off the album. Yet it was just great, if not better.
Our favorite songs of the night were “Detroit” and “Maybe I Do”
Ladies, aside from the fact that the guys are insanely talented musicians, they’re decked with long locks we know you love and some swoon-worthy facial hair. They’re a rare combo of genuine raw talent and powerful stage presence. And hey, they’re still on tour! So check them out for yourself. Dates are here.
On Monday night, Eve 6 played a triumphant sold-out show at the Troubadour in support of their recently-released Fearless Records debut Speak in Code.
That album, if you haven’t heard it, is pretty solid – it’s a bit more pop-oriented than 2003′s It’s All in Your Head or the band’s self-titled debut, but if you dug 2000′s Horrorscope you might want to pick it up. It’s been a long time since they’ve released new music – 9 years, in fact – and they sound fresh and rejuvenated with the new record. Here’s the official video for the song Victoria, as a preview:
Those fresh vibes translated well at the Troubadour, too – their 20-song set was highlighted with some new material (Situation Infatuation, B.F.G.F., Pick up the Pieces, Lost & Found, Curtain and Victoria), as well as a dip into their back catalog (Nightmare, Open Road Song, Amphetamines, Think Twice, Superhero Girl, Tongue Tied, Leech, and so on).
The show’s openers were solid too – Kenan Bell, a L.A. resident with a keen sense of wordplay and a solid backing band got the crowd amped, while The Colourist delivered a fantastic 30-minute set of very infectious indie/pop. They have a residency at the Bootleg Theater in L.A. each Monday in June, and you should check them out if you’re into that scene – they’re great.
Below, enjoy some photos and videos from the Troubadour gig.
On Tuesday night, I was able to catch a headlining Kasabian gig. To put this in perspective, this was a show I’ve been aching for ever since I saw them open for Oasis at a half-full Shoreline Amphitheater in 2005.
It’s been a long wait, and while their set at Coachella last Saturday was a great warm-up, the show at The Fonda (ex – Music Box) was everything I could possibly have wanted.
Opening the gig were The Dear Hunter, an eclectic indie/rock band that delivered a great set at Coachella last weekend as well. I’ve seen them play before, and each time they impress me more and more.
Vocalist Tom Meighan is endlessly engaging, sashaying around the stage, clad in a denim jacket and sunglasses that he’d repeatedly pull off his face, dramatically.
Guitarist Sergio Pizzorno is perhaps even more of a beast onstage, alternating between backup and lead vocals, precise guitar work and amping up the crowd – something the band did exceptionally well. After tossing us white t-shirts with words written on them (for some kind of taping, presumably the Last Call with Carson Daly program which was advertised all night), they charged through a 16-song set featuring some of my favorite tracks of theirs, like Shoot the Runner, Re-Wired, Club Foot, L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever), I.D., Vlad the Impaler (complete with a few bars from The Prodigy‘s Smack My Bitch Up), and Switchblade Smiles.
I was hoping for Processed Beats, but oh well.
Crowd-wise, this was one of the best, most liveliest ones that I’ve witnessed since moving to L.A. in 2008. Normally, people stand around with comp tickets and $13 Jack & Cokes, disinterested in what’s going on while a smattering of true fans bop around excitedly.
Not the case at this show – the crowd was electric. Feeding off the energy put forth by the dudes on stage, the near-capacity crowd went apeshit for the entirety of their set, and it was great to see.
Kasabian have been overlooked for years in the United States – this was their first U.S. tour that I’ve noticed since the gig opening for Oasis, 7 years and 3 albums ago.
This was one of my most anticipated concerts of recent memory, given that it’s been so long, and it couldn’t have been more satisfying.
Kasabian, thank you. PLEASE don’t take 7 years to come back, we need more shows here.
Setlist: Days Are Forgotten Shoot the Runner Velociraptor! Underdog Let’s Roll Just Like We Used To I.D. Thick as Thieves Take Aim Club Foot Re‐Wired Goodbye Kiss Fast Fuse L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever) Encore: Switchblade Smiles Vlad the Impaler Fire
Below, enjoy some photos I snapped of the gig. For more insight (and a handful of sexy videos) from a fellow Kasabian enthusiast, hit up ConcertConfessions.
On Monday night, I managed to do something I hadn’t previously thought possible: see Garbage in concert.
I wasn’t a huge fan while they were around, but I’d learned to appreciate their music more in the years since they disbanded following 2005′s Bleed Like Me. Last night was my first shot to see them, and it also happened to be their 2nd show in 7 years – the first being Friday night at the Bootleg Theater.
As such, I was really excited, and the show couldn’t possibly have been better. Everything sounded amazing - Shirley Manson is a wispy, seductive force on stage, and her voice was pitch-perfect. Butch Vig, even though I could barely see him behind the smoke that billowed around the stage, was as awesome as you’d expect, slamming the drums and being an all-around beast.
Duke Erikson and Steve Marker provided the rest of the music, Duke’s bass, keyboards and percussive touches creating a whirlwind of noise.
The El Rey was packed with fans, and I knew I was lucky to be there, considering scalpers bought up many of the tickets that were available for the show (and tonight’s show as well).
The 20-song set list started with Supervixen, which was really an excellent choice. From the band’s upcoming album Not Your Kind of People (which I am anticipating with much jubilation), they played the single Blood for Poppies and two other gems - Battle in Me (a personal favorite) and Man on a Wire.
They also dove into the back catalog a bit, picking out The World is Not Enough (which marked the first time I’ve seen a James Bond theme played live), Cherry Lips, Bad Boyfriend & The Trick is to Keep Breathing.
In all, it was as great as I could possibly have expected, and was honestly one of the most memorable gigs I’ve seen since moving to L.A. in 2008.
Garbage are back, and signs indicate that they haven’t lost a step whatsoever.
Set List:
Supervixen
Temptation Waits
Not My Idea
Metal Heart
Queer
Stupid Girl
Why Do You Love Me
#1 Crush
The Trick is to Keep Breathing
Vow
Blood for Poppies
Battle In Me
Man On a Wire
Milk
Bad Boyfriend
Only Happy When It Rains
Push It Encore: Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)
The World Is Not Enough
I Think I’m Paranoid
Enjoy some photos & videos from my new camera (which I’m thrilled to have) below.
Last night, Club Nokia was filled with kids in black t-shirts, as the official Warped Tour 2012 Kick-Off Party took place in the middle of L.A. Live.
On-hand for the festivities were Kevin Lyman, Warped Tour’s founder, and some of the most notable acts set to play this summer’s outing: Forever Came Calling, Matt Toka, L.A.’s own Dead Sara, and Falling in Reverse each played energetic sets, sandwiched in between surprise appearances by Warped legends Yellowcard (2 songs, acoustic) and The Used (4 songs, electric).
It was a fun night, and was a great introduction to what looks to be a pretty eventful summer – Warped assembled a solid lineup for 2012, headlined by bands such as New Found Glory, Every Time I Die, Anti-Flag, The Used, Four Year Strong, Taking Back Sunday, and so on.
I was lucky enough to have a Press Pass last night, and took some pretty cool photos of the bands. Enjoy a huge photo gallery below, as well as this video of Dead Sara playing their new hit Weatherman – it’ll be great to see them bringing some rock ‘n’ roll fury to Warped’s parking lot stages this summer.
Enjoy the photos below, and go snag your Warped tickets now, as the pre-sale began today. Don’t sleep on this, as this first pre-sale is a bargain:
To keep the festival at a great value, pre-sale package prices are $21.99 and include commemorative 3D ticket–which also serves as a jump-the-line early entry pass–a Vans Warped Tour 2012 compilation CD and a 25-cent donation to the Unite the United charity and all service fees. Only a limited number of pre-sale tickets are available per city and once they sell-out, they’re gone.The general on-sale will begin April 7.
Last night, I did something I hadn’t done since 2003.
I saw The Darkness.
Yes, the House of Blues Sunset Strip presents a drastically different (and less claustrophobic) night out than Slim’s in San Francisco does, but man, did the UK glam-rock lads more than make up for their time away.
Unlike LA, which apparently had a few chances to see the Darkness back in the early 2000s when they exploded onto the scene with 2003′s Permission to Land, the Bay only had one shot (that I was privy to), and I sweated in the tiny hotbox of Slim’s while Justin Hawkins, Dan Hawkins, Ed Graham and Frankie Poullain did their thing. It was magnificent.
And then, it was over, after they broke up after 2005′s One Way Ticket to Hell…and Back didn’t continue the success achieved by their breakthrough debut.
Last night, the wounds caused by living in a world devoid of Darkness were healed, and the band ripped through a nearly two-hour set of the entire Permission to Land record, old gems, new tunes, and all the guitar solos one can possibly handle in one sitting.
Crown Jewel Defense
The openers, Crown Jewel Defense, were energetic, and I caught a free t-shirt (that I can’t wear), but they were the quintessential “Sunset Strip opening band” – loud, colorful, obnoxious, and riff-heavy. The singer at times sounded like the guy from Ugly Kid Joe, but they didn’t have any songs as grabbing as Everything About You, sadly.
Next up were Foxy Shazam, a band I’ve heard a lot about but hadn’t had the chance to see. To say “they delivered” wouldn’t quite do it justice; they’re balls-to-the-wall insane live.
Lead singer Eric Nally flopped around, told long, meandering stories and jokes that didn’t have an ending or punch line, and, um, ate cigarettes. Apparently that’s part of his shtick, much to my girlfriend’s horror (and mine, admittedly – that’s just gross, and it can’t be healthy).
Nally, before downing the 5 cigs.
Musically, though, they were great – keyboardist Schuyler White (not to be confused with her) looks like a lost Zappa and repeatedly pounded his keyboard like it owed him money. And the facial expressions! Dude was possessed.
White, possessed
They tore through songs from the recently-released Church of Rock and Roll, like I Like It,Holy Touch, and The Temple, and by the time they were done I had joined the congregation.
After a short break, it was finally time for the Darkness.
Slamming through Black Shuck, they kicked off their 21-song set with an enthusiasm and energy that set the place alight. Justin Hawkins, clad in a cutoff American flag jacket and matching pants, was at his best, his customary screech hitting all the right notes throughout the whole set. That’s honestly very impressive, considering how hard it must be to maintain pipes like that.
The jumpsuit did show up at one point
Behind him, the other Hawkins, Graham and Poullain were fitting accomplices – they’re all stellar musicians, with the Hawkinses regularly trading riffs and Poullain scowling like an old movie villain.
Blended in with songs from their debut were some new jams, like Concrete (one of my favorites of the new material), She’s Just a Girl, Eddie, and Out of this World. Hazel Eyes was also a nice treat, as for some reason I wasn’t expecting that to show up on the set list. (Enjoy the video of that song below, courtesy of our pals at Concert Confessions).
They even paid homage to Radiohead, covering Street Spirit (Fade Out), transforming the emotionally gripping original song into a blast of 1980s power metal cheese, which was amazing (and probably abhorrent to the most serious-faced Radiohead fans in the building). Behold:
They held I Believe in a Thing Called Love until the very end, before the 2-song encore of Bareback and the show-closing Love on the Rocks with No Ice, which featured Justin riding around on a security guard’s shoulders while playing a guitar lead (just as he did nine years ago in SF).
In all, it was a magnificent night of good-natured rock ‘n’ roll fun.
The Darkness aren’t here to revolutionize the world, they aren’t here to be serious and make statements. They’re here to represent a lost era of rock music – when bands like Thin Lizzy reigned supreme.
You could tell that they loved being back, too – Justin cracked jokes, smiled, and the whole atmosphere was one of enthusiasm and lightheartedness.
We needed them, and they came back.
Thanks guys, and please, come back soon.
Here are some obnoxiously blurry photos from the show, on my old trashy digital camera that is in dire need of being replaced.
Some of the best shows I’ve been to while living in Southern California have taken place at the Glass House in Pomona.
Last night, ††† (Crosses) made their live debut, and it was easily one of the better gigs I’ve been lucky enough to attend in quite some time.
A new project featuring Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno, Far guitarist Shaun Lopez, bassist Chuck Doom and live drummer Chris Robyn, Crosses have released two excellent, genre-bending EPs thus far, August’s EP † and the follow-up EP ††, which was just unleashed on January 24th.
Blending Moreno’s outstanding vocals, Lopez’s versatile guitars, and various types of electronic flourishes, Crosses’ music can best be described as ambient, ethereal astmopherica, if that was an actual genre (although I’m open to coining it, starting now now).
As previously stated, last night was their very first live gig, and featured extra help on a second drum kit by Dino Campanella of Dredg (who absolutely annihilated his kit all night).
Since it was their live debut, the densely-packed Glass House was filled with eager Deftones fans, many of which screamed in delight at seeing their hero in such an intimate setting.
Emerging onto a smoke-filled stage after AWOLNATION’s Sail finished playing over the PA, Crosses began their 12-song set with †hholyghos†. The small stage was illuminated by a trio of giant, pulsating crosses of varying colors: throughout the night they glowed shades of green, blue, red, and orange, creating a dreamlike backdrop to the band’s mesmerizing music.
Moreno’s no stranger to this sort of thing – his old side project Team Sleep dabbled in ambient experimental music – but Crosses seem like something truly special.
Songs like †his Is A †rick, one of their standout tracks, were simply badass live, with Chino stomping around the stage and belting the song’s refrain with his explosive pipes.
As much as Campanella was a beast behind the drum kit, Chuck Doom ought to teach bass lessons to many other bands’ four-stringers. He attacked his axe with savage fury, and since the bass was so high in the mix the entire room sizzled with each pluck.
Lopez’s subtle yet driving guitar play was enveloped by the sonic whirlwind laid out by Doom, both drummers, and Moreno, taking the band’s sound into the heavens.
This may have been their first gig, but save for a few minutes of technical difficulties and a brief bout of feedback, you wouldn’t have been able to tell. These guys are professionals, and the thought of their live show improving with more practice is frightening. They obliterated that stage.
During the encore, Annie Hardy of Giant Drag came out to sing a duet with Moreno. I wasn’t aware who she was while at the show, but some post-show research revealed why her voice was so familiar: she is responsible for the female vocals on Pink Cellphone, a track from the Deftones’ stellar Saturday Night Wrist.
In terms of a downside to the show, as with any Deftones concert there is a bevy of overexcited fans eager to just shriek “CHIIINNOOOOO” for no discernible reason, which can take away a bit from Crosses’ moody electronic-tinged explorations. But considering how freakin’ cool Chino Moreno is, I’ll allow it.
The highlight of the set has to have been either the aforementioned †his Is A †rick, a new song that was wedged in the middle of the set, or The Years, a number I hadn’t been familiar with but was included on the Batman: Arkham City soundtrack. In particular, The Years, with its 1980s-tinged synth, whispered vocals by Moreno and slow burn that builds to a crunchy finale, is definitely one of the better compositions they’ve released thus far.
By the time the gig was over, it was apparent that Crosses have as bright a future as the dudes in the band will let it have. My friend remarked that “I think I’d say this is Chino’s A Perfect Circle”, and that’s really a great way to think about this project.
They may be new, but Crosses have an incredibly solid core, their brand of rhythmic, ambient atmospherica (there it is again) placing them far, far away from your average “side project”.
If you’re anywhere near where they’re stopping on this mini-tour, get your ass out there and experience it live.
I’ll end this with a plea: Chino, Shaun, and the gang – please keep this up as long as your day jobs will allow.
Crosses Set List
1. Thholyghost
2. This Is A Trick
3. Bermuda Locket
4. Frontiers
5. Prurient
6. Telepathy
7. 1987
8. Unreleased Song
9. The Years
10. Option
Encore:
11. Pretty Little Neighbor [Giant Drag cover, with Annie Hardy)
12. Trophy
In the exhaustive, never-ending battle of Liam vs. Noel Gallagher, it looks like Noel has all but emerged victorious.
Beady Eye, a.k.a. Oasis Minus Noel, played their first Los Angeles gig last night at the Wiltern, and it was as underwhelming as their 2011 debut record Different Gear, Still Speeding.
Whereas Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds shined last month at two sold-out UCLA Royce Hall shows, Beady Eye couldn’t sell out the Wiltern. Maybe fans did some research and realized Liam & Company weren’t playing any Oasis songs on this tour, or maybe enough people don’t know about Beady Eye. KROQ has played some of Noel’s material, but it doesn’t seem as if Beady Eye have received close to the same amount of attention radio-wise.
At any rate, the show was mostly entertaining, despite the set list’s abundance of Beady Eye songs that just weren’t super fantastic.
Opening the night were local LA lads Incan Abraham, who basically sounded like a mix between Vampire Weekend and Foster the People. Think danceable indie-pop-rock with keyboards and driving rhythms, that sort of thing. They didn’t really sound especially unique, overall, given the wealth of indie pop-dance-rock bands out there now, but they did give off a more authentic vibe than the now-very-overexposed Foster the People.
A blurry pic of BBR
Up next were Belgium’s The Black Box Revelation, who were…yeah, a revelation. A two-piece rock duo comprised of Jan Paternoster and Dries Van Dijck, they were basically the European version of the Black Keys, but with an added layer of dirtyness thrown into the mix. They had the same type of soulful, blues-laden garage rock that the Black Keys had a few albums ago, but with some unique flourishes that were aided by Paternoster’s buzzsaw of a voice. He’s also a master on the guitar, shredding with ease as Van Dijck slammed into his drum aggressively. Hopefully 2012 brings them more attention stateside, because albums like 2011′s My Perception deserve it. They’re a great, powerful act.
Coming onstage to a huge glowing “Beady Eye” backdrop (ostensibly a middle-finger to the face of Noel, in terms of a “this is who we are now, fuck off! type of thing), Beady Eye went right into Four Letter Word, one of their best songs thus far in their short career.
Liam, clad in a ridiculously heavy-looking green overcoat and scarf (probably from his Pretty Green clothing line) obviously relishes in the fact that Noel isn’t next to him onstage distracting the crowd from his antics. He pranced around, at one point reaching into the crowd and hoisting a fan’s Manchester City soccer scarf into the air with pride. He also autographed a fan’s outstretched LP, which was amusing.
Musically, Beady Eye’s sound was dominated by Liam’s voice, which was very high in the mix. The fact that the Wiltern wasn’t really close to capacity probably helped in the stage noises being lost in the fold, but it was hard to hear guitarists Andy Bell and Gem Archer sometimes.
Considering they aren’t playing any Oasis songs yet, the band stuck to their debut album, as well as some non-album tunes like In the Bubble with a Bullet, World Outside My Room and Man of Misery. The abundance of their own songs made the second half of the set drag a bit, considering they have probably released more songs than they should have, thus far. Some didn’t translate well live, and others were just boring.
Despite the lack of stellar source material, the band played well enough; what you could hear of the musicians sounded good enough, particularly drummer Chris Sharrock – he played hard on each song, even the slower, more meandering ones. Liam, meanwhile, did all the typical Liam things – standing with his back to the crowd, having short conversations with random fans up close, and occasionally gazing out intensely at no one in particular. He’s always loved the spotlight, and you could tell that he really enjoys being the total focal point of the band.
However, the band’s lack of great material made this show pale in comparison to Noel’s last month. After all, he was the main songwriter in Oasis, and took with him a lot of their talent. Beady Eye are decent, but their songs definitely lack the same kind of immediacy and power of some of Noel’s work.
Hopefully, Beady Eye are able to expand their sound a bit, branching out creatively to make some music that stands on its own better than their debut record provided.
Last Tuesday, Thrice turned in a typically stellar live set at the Mayan in Los Angeles. They played a set mostly comprised of material from this year’s amazingMajor/Minor and 2009′s Beggars, with some nice surprises thrown in for good measure.
Support for the show came in the form of Moving Mountains, O’Brother and La Dispute. It would be accurate to say that each band turned in a better performance than the previous.
Moving Mountains were okay, but it was hard to really get a feel for their overall sound; perhaps it was due to the acoustics at the big and (at that point) moderately empty Mayan. At any rate, they were a warm-up for the rest of the night’s festivities, and played some songs from this year’s album Waves.
O’ Brother, an experimental/ambient rock band whose album Garden Window will be released this Tuesday, were up next. They were a challenging band, honestly. It seemed as if each song started out with atmospherics and melodic guitar work, only to end in a gloomy and rather intense metal-inspired jam. It was pretty mesmerizing, but a lot of their sound was drowned out by the Mayan’s cavernous walls. They’re worth a listen if you’re into dark, ambient rock noise in the same vein as Isis and, to a certain degree, Russian Circles.
La Dispute were direct support for Thrice, and apparently they have quite a loving fan base here in LA. Despite being from the Midwest, they had a dedicated following scattered among the flanneled dudes in the pit. Vocalist Jordan Dreyer completely dominated the stage, despite being barefoot. He stomped around, ran in place, and screamed his passionate and wordy vocals along with the rest of the band’s melodic hardcore-ish songs.
La Dispute
It takes a certain type of front man to be as active onstage as Dreyer, and his showmanship elevated the band’s set from “impressive” to “really great”. Along with their blistering performance, the music they played was an impressive blend of urgency, energy, and hardcore-infused aggression. Based on the quality of their live show and their new album Wildlife, the future should be pretty bright for La Dispute.
Thrice capped off the night with a 17-song, career-defining set list. Kicking off with Yellow Belly and The Weight, the first half was comprised mainly of songs from Major/Minor and Beggars, but around the midway point Dustin Kensrue, Teppei Teranishi, Riley Breckenridge and Eddie Breckenridge dove back into their back catalog, much to the delight of many of the fans up close in the pit.
Thrice
From Major/Minor, Call It In the Air and Anthology were easily two of the set’s highlights, with Kensrue introducing Anthology as a “thank you” to the fans who have stuck with the band for so long. Judging by the enthusiasm displayed by the band throughout their set, it was apparent that they really enjoy doing what they do for a living.
In the spirit of “giving back”, the band reached far into their early material for a few tunes that pleased longtime fans: Silhouette (from The Artist in the Ambulance) and Cold Cash and Colder Hearts (also from The Artist in the Ambulance) served as a nostalgic look back, while the two-song encore of Phoenix Ignition (Identity Crisis) and To Awake and Avenge the Dead gave many in the crowd their first opportunity to see either song played live.
It was wild to see Kensrue go out in the pit and act as the “hardcore front man”, especially considering I’m a relatively new convert to the Church of Thrice. I wasn’t into them back in the early 2000s, so I missed out on years of “old school Thrice” shows. Getting to see them delve back into their earlier material at this show was pretty awesome.
In the end, this show really helped me appreciate Thrice even more. They have endured far longer than a lot of music fans probably expected them to back in 2002: many bands that were already established or formed after Thrice have already disbanded, as their respective genres shifted and trends changed. Despite a similar musical landscape, Thrice have been able to do one of the rarest things possible for a band: adapt and shift their sound in such a way that morphs into a truly unique and identifiable sound. Their newer output may not have the same fury and metal-tinged aggression as the songs on Identity Crisis or The Illusion of Safety, but that isn’t to say their songs have changed much thematically. The passion and energy are still there, but the metal riffs have been replaced by a focus on melody and Kensrue’s affecting lyrics.
It’s rare that I can see a band that seems to outdo themselves with each album and each live show, but Thrice are easily among that group. I’m ready for the next tour already.
Thrice set list:
Yellow Belly
The Weight
Promises
All the World Is Mad
In Exile
Call It in the Air
Silhouette
Cold Cash and Colder Hearts
Circles
Treading Paper
Words in the Water
Of Dust and Nations
Firebreather
The Earth Will Shake
Anthology
Encore:
PhoenixIgnition
To Awake and Avenge the Dead
Below, enjoy two more videos and some (mostly) blurry photos from the gig.
I went to the AP Tour this past weekend at the House of Blues Sunset Strip, and it was quite fun.
On the bill: FYS, Gallows, Title Fight, The Swellers, & Sharks.
We only showed up in time to catch the last song of Sharks’ set, but being as I’m a fan of The Clash, I dug their English-styled punk energy. It’s not hard to see who their influences are as a band, but they do it well.
Next up were The Swellers, who released one of my top albums of 2011, Good for Me, earlier in the year. Their roughly 30-minute set only included four of those songs, with the rest coming from their previous albums, as they do have three full-length records.
The Swellers
The crowd didn’t seem too familiar with their songs, but the Swellers really have a good thing going for them: Good for Me struck a chord with my inner 1990’s kid with its nods to old-school Weezer, Foo Fighters, and The Get Up Kids, and the way they’re able to blend those influences with their own unique style really help them stray from the pack of the indie-pop-punk bands currently battling it out for the attention of twentysomethings everywhere. They’re also great live.
Title Fight (sorry for the lame quality)
I had seen Title Fight two times already this year, but their performance this time was my favorite. I hadn’t really gotten into their music yet, as I tend to shy away from bands that use yelling as their main source vocals, but these kids do it exceedingly well. They played some songs from their 2011 album Shed, including Crescent-Shaped Depression (featured below), and in the end I think I’ll give the album another spin or two.
It’s funny to me that I saw them twice already this year and didn’t really dig their style, but somehow the third time was indeed the charm. They may be young, but they’re definitely on the rise. The crowd loved them, as well, with many of the dudes in the pit rushing to the front and passionately singing along with vocalists Ned Russin and Jamie Rhoden.
Gallows' guitarist riding the crowd
The last time I saw Gallows was in 2009, when they were led by the fiery, intense, and heavily-tattooed (and moderately intimidating) Frank Carter. He took the Warped Tour crowd that had gathered to watch his British hardcore/punk band and placed them in the palm of his hand, conducting much of their set that day from the middle of a huge and violent circle pit. Check it out.
Well, Carter quit the band recently, his replacement coming in the form of Wade MacNeil (former guitarist of Alexisonfire). The visual difference is stark: at one point on Saturday night MacNeil made reference to that, as he “doesn’t have red hair”, noting also that he’s endured some flak since replacing a front man such as Carter. And yet, despite the difficulty that goes along with stepping in and taking over for someone as engaging as Carter was, MacNeil did his best. He and the band ripped through songs from 2009’s Grey Britain and their upcoming EP with a relentless fury that found MacNeil out in the pit orchestrating windmill kicks.
He may not be quite as intense and scary onstage as Carter was, but to say Gallows has lost any of the stage presence they had in the past would be a disservice to the fantastic showmanship he and the rest of the band employed at this show. They’re still a force with which to be reckoned, definitely.
Four Year Strong, whose new album In Some Way, Shape, or Form hits stores this week, wasted no time with their headlining set, launching right into What The Hell is a Gigawatt?, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
I had seen FYS at this same venue when they toured for Enemy of the World, but it was easy to see that they’ve improved their live show greatly since then. They’re a much tighter band now, technically speaking, with vocalists Dan O’Connor and Alan Day taking turns ramping up the fans between songs.
The band blended some fan favorites from Enemy of the World and the now-classic Rise or Die Trying with a few selections from In Some Way, Shape, or Form, which did help demonstrate the contrast between their back catalogue and where they are now. Just Drive, Falling On You, Stuck in the Middle, and (to a lesser extent) Fairweather Fan are pretty different stylistically from tunes like Prepare to Be Digitally Manipulated and On a Saturday, and the band is now definitely straying a bit from the pedigree that made them become leaders of the pop-punk/hardcore genre within the past four years. Despite their creative shift, though, the new songs translated better live than they do on the new album, and the fans’ enthusiasm for them indicated at least to me that they won’t give up on the band just because they’ve changed their sound a bit.
Four Year Strong have worked hard the past few years to get where they are now, and they deserve to headline a tour as big as the AP Tour. Gallows, Title Fight, The Swellers, and Sharks are all on the rise as well, making this a pretty sweet lineup of some of the most promising bands of their respective genres. That makes for a fun night, and this show definitely delivered.
Below, enjoy more videos and a gallery of images from the night’s festivities.
