Girl at the Rock Shows

I always write my reviews in the morning after a show. That’s partially because things are still fresh in my mind the morning after a show but also because I’m a creature of habit. I have a daily schedule and have “write concert review” literally listed with a timeframe for each day. That said, I was at a show on Friday night and didn’t write about it. Saturday was my birthday. It’s the one day of the year when I don’t work. I don’t even think about work and that means I don’t go to a concert. I know that is completely backward from most people who look forward to going out on their birthday, but for someone who is out night after night, sometimes it’s nice just to chill. I’ve been thinking about what to do with the show on Friday night. Honestly, it was amazing but I also wasn’t “hired” to cover it. I was just there, but it’s a show that was so good that, even now, on Monday morning, I am still thinking about it, so I have to say something!

Before I get into the review, I want to apologize to the three acts that performed at Cloudland on Friday night. This will be a short and sweet post, but I don’t want any of you to take that as a note that it wasn’t a killer show because it was. I am already another show in since then and can’t remember all of the details of Friday night at this point. So, again, my apologies but here’s a quick rundown of what I do remember.

Kicking the night off was Battery Eyes. This is a local group I have been wanting to see for some time and they did not let me down. This post-punk trio took the stage with a sense of fury, but it was a subtle kind of fury. Their songs were full of heart and angst but also very well thought out and composed. The lack of frills really stood out to me about Battery Eyes’ performance. It was clearly just three friends who love what they do and happen to be really good at creating music together, making it the perfect way to get Friday night started.

What happened after Battery Eyes left me speechless. Although just a duo, Dug hit me with an insane and almost severe wall of sound. There was something threatening and dangerous feeling about their performance that had me stuck where I was with my jaw on the group. The sound of Dug was unlike anything I had heard. The duo played with time and tone in a way that I had never heard anyone do before. Call it noise, call it experimental, or call it just loud– Dug’s sound and performance left me truly floored and with a set that I was still talking about at the show on Sunday night.

Closing out the Friday night show was DC-based Continuals. Continuals is a supergroup of sorts featuring members from bands such as Soccer Team, Hunger Artist, Kerosene 454, Channels– the list goes on and on. It’s because of the history of the members of this band that I wasn’t surprised that they gave the modest audience a flawless performance. That being said, their sound wasn’t quite what I expected especially after the slight brutality of Dug. Continuals’ sound was a bit more pop-punk-influenced. Don’t get me wrong, they are far from being a pop-punk band, but there was just something a bit lighter and more carefree in their music than there had been in the previous two sets. I loved that, although their sound was different, this band and the members of the band seemed to fit in perfectly to the scene that had come out for the show. They may have been in town from Washington, D.C., but on Friday night, Continuals were some of the locals, and it was so nice to have them home for the night.

Okay, as mentioned, this is an uber-short post, and all three of these acts deserve so much more. I owe them all a full review the next time they play, but until then, I highly suggest you check them all out. My words just do not do Friday night’s show justice.