Category: Concert Review

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Concert Review

1349 With Tombs at Local 506

Amidst the sea of metal fans, replete with denim and leather jackets, satanic imagery, and a variety of band t-shirts and patches for every metal band under the sun, I felt a little out of place clad in my turtle neck and sweater. I probably looked more like I was ready to attend a Neutral Milk Hotel tribute band set, if that’s even a thing (I hope it’s a thing). Nevertheless, I was excited for what was essentially my first true metal show. Sure I saw Deafheaven earlier this year, but I’m not sure that counts as they are on the most divisive bands within the metal community.

Unfortunately and regrettably, I had to show up late to the show due to classes, thus causing me to miss local openers Grohg and Bobby Orr, as well as the band I was arguably most excited to see, hardcore outfit Full of Hell. I arrived about 10 minutes into Tombs’ set, the thundering black metal outfit out of New York. The band hardly stopped to talk as they ripped straight through their unique blend of metal for about 45 minutes. Being a novice to the metal scene, I was somewhat surprised at the lack of crowd participation besides the front row of head bangers. The music was definitely heavy enough for the crowd pushing each other around, but nevertheless it was a very tight set that should impress any fan of the genre.

Up next, was the Norwegian black metal band 1349. The black metal bands did not disappoint in the black metal department, coming onto the stage with corpse paint and smoke machines. The band played an extremely fast, uncompromising set filled with exceptionally hard hitting double bass drums and grim, cold vocals from front man Ravn. This set, the crowd definitely upped the ante as a mosh pit was constant and quick. The band definitely showcased why they are one of the bigger Norwegian black metal bands as they played a very smooth set. Overall, it was a good show and I look forward to attending more metal shows in the near future. 

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Concert Review

Last Fridays On The Lawn for 2015

WKNC, students, and listeners bid farewell to Fridays On The Lawn for 2015. This past Friday, November 7, WKNC hosted Noah Rawlings of Sunshine Faces and The Mineral Girls. As the sun set, and the stringed lights twinkled, the two sets felt intimate, and romantic. There was a special connection to be felt between the audience and the bands. 

Noah Rawlings of Sunshine Faces

Noah Rawlings of Sunshine Faces (above) played a solo set; he compared himself to playing without a band as something similar to Bob Dylan.

The Mineral Girls

The Mineral Girls dedicated their set to mid 2000’s teen pop star, and my personal idol, Hilary Duff.

The Mineral Girls

See you next year (2016) Fridays On The Lawn!

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Concert Review

Review for The Story So Far at Cat’s Cradle 11/12/15

For many people in the pop-punk/emo scene, this line-up could arguably be considered the line-up of the year. Turnover released an album that everybody has been flocking to since its release. They are gaining momentum more and more with every tour they are on. Basement is a scene favorite that just came off of hiatus and are touring for their first time in 3 years. Then there’s the Story So Far, quite possibly the biggest band in the new wave of pop-punk.

Coming into this show, I was most excited to see Turnover, as they released my favorite album of the year, Peripheral Vision. Starting the show off, they did not disappoint. Playing many of the strongest cuts from Peripheral Vision with ease and near perfection. Austin Getz, lead singer and guitarist sounded on par with his on-record performance. The crowd pleasantly swayed along to the breezy guitars and hazy vocals singing along every word. This was the most calm the crowd was all night. Turnover even included what I believe to be was a new song. The crowd pepped up when they closed with lead single “Cutting My Fingers Off”, a perfect closer ripe for sing-alongs. Out of the 3 times I have seen Turnover this year, this was by far the best set. I am eagerly awaiting a headlining tour from this band after opening for so many great bands.

Second band of the night could have easily headlined the show and that is the British band, Basement. From the moment they hit the stage, the crowd went wild singing along to “Whole” and the energy hardly stopped as they played a variety of hits from their 2 full length albums, 7 inch, and a new song from their upcoming album, Promise Everything, to which kids were even singing along. Throughout the set, lead singer Andrew Fisher danced throughout the night in quite the delightful way. It wasn’t “Hotline Bling” level dancing but it was damn close. The band closed the set out with the cathartic song “Covet” to great crowd participation. A lot of bands have been going on hiatus lately and Basement acts as the perfect model for why a band might go on hiatus. Ever since the hiatus started, Basement has just grown exponentially in style and are at a peak. It appears that they are going to continue this ascent to scene favorite with their new album due in early 2016 on Run For Cover Records.

After an intermission filled with the hot hip-hop songs of today, The Story So Far took the stage to an ever eager audience. The crowd immediately pushed forward with fingers pointing straight at lead singer Parker Cannon. The band ripped through “Nerve” off the new album and called for a circle pit during “The Glass”. The crowd was highly responsive with tons of crowd surfing and mosh antics. Cannon ate it up expressing his pleasure with how fun the crowd was. Before the show, I had always heard The Story So Far lacked any stage presence or charisma, but this show proved otherwise, at least Parker Cannon definitely was energetic. As a person who got into this band when they first came out, the setlist definitely left a lot to desire skipping out on many older hits. However, I can’t really complain as they are psyched on their new material and would naturally play those songs. Overall, it was a strong show from each band proving that these bands are the cream of the crop for this scene.

As I grow older, I start to see the pop-punk scene in a new light, a more critical light. Much of pop-punk is devoted to the idea of stage dives and crowd surfing and I understand the appeal. When I was a younger, more spry lad, I was up there jumping on peoples backs and stage diving. It was fun, there’s no denying that, but it creates a place that isn’t safe for everybody. I’m not calling for the stoppage of having fun, but more for a consideration when it comes to crowd surfing. It is a problematic thing that happens at these shows filled with young attendees that could very well get hurt by the 180 pound guy flipping all over the people beneath him, just so he can have fun or sing along on top of everybody. I would like to see more bands take a stand against it like Joyce Manor. It might be an unpopular move to speak out against it, but to ensure a safer scene for all should be of the utmost importance, not just the enjoyment of a few.

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Concert Review

NO BS Brass Band Throws Down at Cat’s Cradle Back Room

True to form, NO BS Brass Band threw down at the Cat’s Cradle Back Room in Carrboro, NC last Friday night. In front of a solid but very green NC jazz crowd, NO BS introduced the Cat’s Cradle musicgoers to their very vibrant and dynamic brand of Richmond, VA brass music. Their music serves as a powerful combination of Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, and New Orleans brass band mixed with a little bit of dynamite and salt in the wound to make you scream WOOHOO and dance around till your feet fall off.

NO BS Brass Band

I absolutely love this band and am excited to see them making big moves in the past twelve months to finally making it on the national stage. After a huge northeastern and midwest tour, NO BS finally returns to the mid-atlantic in order to prepare for their next album release, Brass Knuckles, on Novemeber 20th. Stay tuned for more on that!

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Concert Review

SHOW REVIEW: WAXAHATCHEE @ CAT’S CRADLE

A few minutes into her set, after blazing through “Under a Rock” and “Misery over Dispute”, frontwoman Katie Crutchfield noticed the visibly positive crowd reaction and remarked “I guess I should keep coming back”. That Tuesday night was the third time Waxahatchee has visited the Triangle in the past year; one previous show at Cat’s Cradle and one at this year’s Hopscotch Festival. Crutchfield’s songwriting is versatile, ranging from the haunting low-fi ballads of her debut American Weekend to grungy 90’s rock of her first Merge release from earlier this year, Ivy Tripp. In contrast to her solo acoustic set at Hopscotch, this show leaned heavily towards the latter. Neither Crutchfield nor her bandmates touched an acoustic guitar for the duration of the set.

The high point of the show was a rearrangement of the somber American Weekend highlight “Grass Stain” to fit into the sound and attitude of the new record. Many of the lyrics, such as “I don’t care that I’m too young to be unhappy” felt more rebellious than melancholy in this new context. While I would not have complained if more of the gorgeous acoustic songs of Waxahatchee’s early work were performed, Crutchfield showed how capable and confident she at delivering this new sound. Closing the show with a performance of my favorite Cerulean Salt track “Dixie Cups and Jars”, she displayed the powerful lyrics and great guitar riffs that make her such a fantastic songwriter.

The opening acts Weyes Blood and Try the Pie also put on solid performances. Try the Pie’s upbeat and straightforward rock music to get the night rolling was contrasted by the wistful atmospheric sound and winding vocal melodies brought by Weyes Blood. Natalie Mering of Weyes Blood showed up for her set alone, bringing just an acoustic guitar, effects pedals, and an iPhone. The guitar was run through a variety of pedals that are more often paired with an electric setup, and the iPhone was used to supply airy synths and percussion. It was an unusual but hypnotizing performance that provided a great segue into the main act.

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Concert Review

Concert On The Lawn

WKNC has put on events called Friday’s On The Lawn; however, as part of Wolfpack Welcome Week, WKNC put on “Concert On The Lawn” Monday, August 17th. To kick off the year-long series, Echo Courts and Ghostt Bllonde serenaded listeners and passersby, attracting a huge crowd.

Echo Courts started off this academic year’s first Concert On The Lawn.

Echo Courts starting to draw in a crowd.

Ghostt Bllonde rockin’, singing, and dancing!

 

And finally, the great crowd that came out to support WKNC and hear some awesome tunes.

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Concert Review

SHOW REVIEW: Ceremony @ Kings Barcade

Last week Ceremony played Kings Barcade with a solid set of opening bands. The first to play was Brother Beast, a Raleigh post-hardcore band that has opened for a lot of great nationally touring bands including Prawn, TWIABP, Old Gray, and Hop Along. Wildhoney is a Baltimore fast-tempo shoegaze band that will also be playing Hopscotch later this year. Last to play before Ceremony was Tony Molina. He gets a lot of comparisons to Weezer and Teenage Fanclub, but in the past Tony Molina and his bandmates have played in a lot of hardcore bands, which is strange considering the music they play now. There we a ton of dueling guitar solos and they even ended their set with a cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Soldier of Fortune.”

My introduction to Ceremony was through their 2010 album, Rohnert Park. Some fans of the band’s earliest material noticed a departure for the band on that record. The band’s sound was becoming less influenced by powerviolence. They were moving away from their hardcore roots, and five years after the release of Rohnert Park they released The L-Shaped Man which marked a full-departure from their old sound. Now, the material they’re putting out is pretty reminiscent of the source of the band’s name, a Joy Division song. They opened with two songs from their new album to an interested crowd, but the crowd really got rowdy in reaction to the next song they played. Ceremony introduced themselves as a band from Rohnert Park, California. Then, their drummer stared playing the unmistakable top hits of “Sick.” It was one of my favorites of the night, and I was glad that they played some of my other favorite songs from Rohnert Park, “M.C.D.F.” and “Open Head.” They played an old school cover of “Pressure’s On” by the Dischord Records band, Red C, along with a song from Ceremony’s 2006 album, Violence Violence. It was a bit strange hearing their new, post-punk songs in the mix with their older hardcore stuff, but it still worked well. Despite the more mellow sound of their new music, Ceremony still put on a very energetic show. Also, it was cool to see Ross Farrar end the show with a shout out to Brother Beast’s upcoming album, Pregnant God.

-DJ Nasty Nate

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Concert Review

Show Review: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Alex G, Birds of Avalon

Arriving a few minutes before doors, there was a line of people waiting to enter Cat’s Cradle for Sunday night’s rock n’ roll show featuring Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Alex G, and Birds of Avalon. The line featured a diverse group of individuals, some presumably there to see Alex G based on their Teen Suicide shirts (a band who would be considered a peer to Alex G), but this was a sparse population as many were most likely there to see the headliner Unknown Mortal Orchestra. I have to admit, I’d never heard of the Raleigh psych rock band Birds of Avalon before the show. 

Opening, they came out with 2 drummers and a guitarist playing with a 12-string guitar. The band played a continuous set without breaks between songs. They played a brand of psych-rock that sounds reminiscent of the 1970’s, filled with many harmonies and ample opportunities to jam out. Amidst one of their songs, the keyboard player used aluminum foil as an instrument, to my disbelief. 

Up next was Alex G, the reason I was at this show. I was quite interested in seeing the contrast between Alex G (an artist known for his sparse lo-fi, bedroom pop-esque music) and the wall of sound that was Birds of Avalon. 

Alex G came out with a full band and a new haircut. He started by engaging the audience in amusing stage banter, telling us he was going to play “original songs” and such, between each set. He played a collection of songs from his discography, but most came from DSU, his most recent release. The highlight of the set was during a DSU cut “Icehead” where at the climax of the song, he diverged from the recording and yelled into the microphone to a shocked and excited audience.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra took the stage and finished the night with one of the most upbeat sets I have ever seen. 

It was filled with happy dancing from start to finish, a definite change from the punk shows I’m used to where I’m constantly watching out for fists coming my direction. I wasn’t very familiar with their material besides their first album featuring the delightful “Ffunny Ffriends,” which they played to the great joy of the audience. The set featured a jammy drum solo at one point that the audience ate up, as well as a T-Rex puppet during the encore. It was an eclectic evening of bands that all put on one great rock n’ roll show. 

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Concert Review

Family Bike Release Show at Jellybean’s 5/31/15

The WKNC team decided to head down to Wilmington for the release show of Family Bike’s debut album Everything You Own Is Anagrammed.

Family Bike members Karl Kuehn, also from the local favorite Museum Mouth, and Taylor Haag, the ecstatic drummer, set the bar high for all release shows to come by hosting it at Jellybean’s, the super skate center located in both the Triangle and Wilmington.

If you can rent it out for your kid’s seventh birthday party, why not for your album release party?

It had been years since I went to a skating rink and climbed into those beautiful, beige rental skates. Everything was exactly as I remembered. The smell of disinfectant, the lack of coordination coupled with the hard, unforgiving floor, and the iconic disco ball.

Astro Cowboy, another local favorite from Wilmington, opened the show with lead singer and guitarist Travis Harrington standing a few inches taller in his rental skates. Behind him was Kameron Vann, the drummer for the group, who unfortunately could not wear skates while performing, since drumming and skating do not mix.

Once Family Bike hit the stage, Karl Kuehn started off with the nostalgic game of “Red Light Green Light,” one game almost everyone has played in their childhood. Family Bike played the latest off their album, including the bangers “Idiot Boy” and “Places.”

Halfway through their set, things took an interesting turn. Travis Harrington, while proving his proficiency in rocking by his opening set, had not yet perfected his rolling and tumbled into Taylor Haag’s drum set. This was right after Kuehn introduced “a song about doing shrooms,” otherwise known as “Dylan’s Room.”

I like to think this accident set the mood for the whole evening. The mood was laidback and embraced the local scene. Family Bike played a great show with tons of local support around them.

The setting of the venue was appropriate for harboring a carefree, inclusive atmosphere. The skating rink is for times of celebrating achievements, and like a seven year old’s birthday, Family Bike deserves all of the praise.

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Concert Review

Fridays On The Lawn, March 20th- Jackson Scott and Astro Cowboy

Jackson Scott

Astro Cowboy