This was the strangest show I’ve ever been to, and that’s saying something. I don’t know who put the lineup together for this, but if they had pulled random names from a hat they couldn’t have possibly come up with a more disparate group of bands. I can see what they were thinking – the bands all played a distinct brand of high energy dance-able rock. But each band brought its own fan base who seemed to know and be completely dismissive of the other acts. Every time the sets changed, a convection current would sweep through the crowd as the fans of the departing act wandered back to the merch tables and fans of the new act would push forward.
Breathe Carolina kicked the show off with a set that was interesting odd. Decidedly odd. Let me say, I was prepared to fall in love with this band. They had the geekiest setup I’ve ever seen: not one, but two computers (a Dell laptop and an iMac, which is endearingly eccentric), and the only instrument I recall was one of those keyboard-guitar hybrids that you wear like a guitar. No drums, no real guitars, just geekalicious instruments and a lot of lights. Then the music started and unfortunately, I just didn’t quite get it. Breathe Carolina is a duo out of Colorado who claim to write “electronica/metal/indie,” but what they performed was 90s techno with some very out of place screamo mixed in for effect. They are supported on stage by two (possibly three – I remember three, but their website only credits two) technicians on stage: the guy on the keyboard-guitar-thingy and a DJ. The music was 95% previously recorded and what was performed live wasn’t enough to justify the set. The vocals, the only part of the show that were truly live, were weak and a bit baffling. The lead’s voice wasn’t strong enough or compelling enough to push through the noise and was completely upstaged by the screamer, who has a better singing voice than the lead.
Breathe Carolina has a distinctive sound, but it’s a mish-mash of two very different genres from two very different eras, and they haven’t quite nailed how to integrate the two (to be honest, I’m not sure it can be done). The crowd certainly seemed to love what they heard, but when the set was over Breathe Carolina’s fans up and left. Props to the band for pulling in their own fan base, but I think most of us spent the whole set wondering, “What the fuck?”
Next up was Another Day Late, a local band out of Orange County. Yay for local bands! They didn’t seem to have a huge fan base in audience, but they played a more accessible style of music than Breathe Carolina, which was a relief. They also had a much tighter show (with real instruments!). Another Day Late plays energetic guitar-rock driven by earnest, almost conversational, lyrics delivered in soaring melodies. Lead singer Kohl Hegmann has a voice that is reminiscent of Justin Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack, but is far less chatty both lyrically and while performing.
The band handed out glow sticks before the show (for no real reason, but still fun), and seemed thrilled to be playing back home even if they didn’t exactly have a home crowd. The show was delivered with wonderful technical precision, but still seemed a little rough around the edges. ADL did very little to engage the audience, even though it was clear that the crowd was mostly unfamiliar with the music. The music itself was fantastic, striking a wonderful balance between the music and vocal deliveries.
Another Day Late was followed by Danger Radio, the most adorable band I’ve seen in a long time. Danger Radio is fronted by two hobbit-sized (ok, they’re probably a little taller than that, but one even has hobbit-hair) guys who are dangerously excited by everything. Danger Radio plays a brand of high energy dance-rock that got the crowd off their feet and kept them that way. The music features elements of electronica and jazz, dance beats, and clever, catchy lyrics. The vocals were delivered in a punchy, theatrical style that made for a wonderfully entertaining show. Lead singer Andrew De Torres was especially good at playing with the crowd, the band took frequent breaks so he could expound on theories of dance that kept the energy high and the audience engaged.
Next up was Envy On The Coast, who killed it. Lead singer Ryan Hunter got the audience hopping from the first song and then spent most of the set at the very edge of the stage, obligingly willing to be mauled by the audience. The band dealt with a number of technical issues – evidently the piano popped into organ mode during “Mirrors,” which I’m pretty sure no one would have noticed if they hadn’t pointed it out. I couldn’t even hear the piano for most of the set.
Envy On The Coast was by far the best live act of the night. Their set was energetic and tightly performed. The band focused on their faster numbers that played to the general dance-rock feel of the other sets, which took advantage of the momentum following Danger Radio’s set. The set showed off the very tight vocal interplay between Ryan and Sal, and especially Sal’s lightening instrument switches (the guy goes from piano to guitar to impressive vocal harmonies and back so fast that it’s hard to keep up with him). They closed the set with “Gift Of Paralysis” and were joined Danny from The Audition for a chorus.
Envy On The Coast was followed by The Audition. I expected the crowd to go berserk, but the energy died a bit for this set. The floor emptied out quite a bit, but the people that stayed quickly got into it. The set featured a couple songs from the new album Champion, but focused mostly on songs from Controversy Loves Company, and the crowd was obviously word-perfect on the whole album.
The Audition’s live shows aren’t as good as their albums. The band plays high energy dance-rock and the songs lend themselves well to rollicking live sets. Lead singer Danny Stevens chases intensity on stage with volume but overdoes it and loses the slightly breathy drama of his recorded performances. His on stage delivery is better on softer songs that require a bit more delicacy in delivery. The band generates serious energy on stage that lends the act a reckless feel, and while the performance was technically very precise, it felt a bit spotty. On the other hand, you could tell they were having a great time and that spilled over into the audience. The band even brought out a birthday cake for guitarist Seth Johnson, who promptly had an itty-bitty food fight with fellow guitarist Tim Kepler. (Off-topic: Tim rocked the best hair of the whole night. It was perfectly round.) The Audition closed with the opening song of Controversy Loves Company, “Dance Halls Turn To Ghost Towns,” and commanded a raucous dance-floor for the song’s entirety.
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