I was able to take in 5 of the 9 bands that performed at the first night of the International Pop Overthrow that's going on down at the Croc this weekend. I would've loved to have been able to stay for the remaining four bands.... stupid work. :) But, I digress. Here's my take on the first night.
Opening the night was a last-minute addition to the bill in the form of teenage rockers Blackout. I'm pretty sure the oldest member of the band is 12. According to their myspace page, the main kid started the band about a year ago after seeing School of Rock. If he only started playing guitar a year ago, he's got rediculous talent, because he is really good.
Next up was The Small Change, who I love, and they didn't disappoint. After sitting through about 5 minutes of "Doug is setting up his drums" (while David Bash stood kind of awkwardly on the stage waiting to introduce them), the rocking commenced and it didn't stop for 20 minutes until they ended their set. Even with a stand-in bassist (Heather from the most excellent The Riffbrokers) they didn't skip a beat. Great energy, great songs.
The Cheats were up third, and I wasn't moved greatly by their set. More punk than powerpop, I was hoping it would be a cool shift of energy. Instead I'm sorry to say I found them a bit monotonous. They were rocking and tight. It just didn't move me on this evening. Perhaps I was in the mood for more melody.
And that melody hypothesis was confirmed by Doll Test, who moved me a lot more than I was expecting them to. I had never seen them live, although I was familiar with their recordings. Before they began I said to my friends that I thought I was either going to love them or be completely underwhelmed. It turns out that I loved them. Well done, guys.
After a super-quick stage change, The Young Sportsmen took the stage. Damn, those boys were loud! I'd seen them previously and felt I knew what to expect. And, as expected, they were solid, together and rocking. In truth, I could've used some more dynamics. Their set was quite a bit like someone punched me in the face, but instead of pulling back and letting me see the damage they had inflicted, they left their knuckles pressed up against my nose for 20 minutes.
And, unfortunately, I had to head home before The Sterling Loons, Twink The Wonder Kid, the Lund Bros, and The Snakebites took the stage. Like I said before... stupid work. But, I'll be around for the remaining 24 groups of the weekend. Expect more reports (hopefully with photos) over the weekend.
Also, I'll be working the merch table tonight and tomorrow. So, if you read the blog, please come say hi to me. I'd love to meet you.
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2 comments:
Nice write up! Too bad you couldn't stay for our set (Lund Bros.). We had a great time.
And, if that was your Hartke, thanks for letting us bassists us it. My J sounded angry and up front with it.
Thanks and sorry I missed your set! Yep, that was my amp. Glad it worked out well for you! It seems to be holding up pretty well, although I have to say I'm a tad nervous as to how it's handling 33 shows in a row over one weekend. :)
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