Girl at the Rock Shows

A lot of people feel like their friends getting married and having babies are some of the biggest celebrations that happen in your 30s. Although those are exciting and monumental events, that’s not what gets the biggest celebration out of me. What gets me is seeing my friends release albums, throwing album release parties, and showing the world their talent. Friday night at Zhora Darling was a celebration for Unstable Shapes, doing just that. Before I tell you about the night, let me give this band a massive shout-out for being one of the most solid local bands out there and for releasing what I can only assume will be my album of the year.

Local trio Tender Comrade started the party. Out of the four bands playing on Friday night, there were only two that I knew nothing about, and this was one of them, but, within their first song, I was in love. The sound of Tender Comrade is simple, but it’s abstract at the same time. The beats and overall instrumentation felt oddly hollow, yet somehow, they filled the room with the help of Knol Tate’s deep and distinct vocals. Tender Comrade made you think while their surf-punk leaning post-punk sound kept you engaged. You never knew what was going to come next with this band, but you knew it was going to be good and powerful. Throw in some awkward banter between Tate and the quickly growing audience, and you were left with the perfect way to kick off a local celebration.

I’m starting to lose count of how many times I’ve seen Battery Eyes. That’s not a complaint; it’s more of a brag if I’m being honest. Another local trio, Battery Eyes, is going to be the next big thing to blow up from this scene, and their set on Friday night was proof of that. Battery Eyes’ standard is perfection. From the way vocalist and drummer Aaron LeMay is somehow able to keep everything steady while screaming his brains out to the way that Johnny Laberda brings a sense of intensity with his guitar work and backup vocals, all the way to Nick “Danger” Welker holding it down on bass, I’ve never seen this band have a bad set. That said, something about their set on Friday night felt like it had just a bit more razzle-dazzle. Maybe it was the band debuting a song with Unstable Shapes vocalist Andrew Cahak (which was amazing) or then announcing that they are working on recording a new album. Whatever it was, my eyes and ears are firmly attached to this band right now, and even though I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen them live, I hope to see them again very soon.

The other band I knew nothing about on this line-up– Lovely Dark. That being said, their name is one that has been repeating in my head recently. They’ve been brought up more and more in recent conversations with other friends in the scene so I was so excited to see what they were all about. After a slight delay due to some sound issues, it was time for them to take over the room, and take over they did. Out of all of the bands that performed on Friday night, I’ll be honest, Lovely Dark’s sound wasn’t quite what I was in the mood for. I wanted post-punk intensity. I wanted screams and shouts matched with furious drums and panicked guitars. Lovely Dark brought a more darkened-hued indie-rock sound to the stage. It wasn’t bad at all, but it was just not quite what I was in the mood for. I will say that they hit the mark when it came to displaying and presenting an undeniable sense of passion and heart, which is more than enough to leave me wanting more.

After Lovely Dark, it was time for the band of the hour- Unstable Shapes. I honestly can not praise this band enough, but I will also spare you as I know I have done it every time I have covered them (which has been dozens at this point). Long story short, this is my band. They get me. Their instrumentation is heavy, and their lyrics are deep. On top of all of that, they have a live performance that gives you chills regardless of how much you say that music doesn’t affect you. Friday night was a standard set by these guys, but it had a celebratory feel around it. They were celebrating the release of their album ‘Delicate Machinery.’ Not just that, but they were also selling copies of this record on vinyl. That may not sound like a massive feat to you, but I know how much time and money it takes to release music on vinyl, and these guys pulled it off in spades and had their record flying off the merch table throughout the night.

On top of playing almost the entire album during their set, Unstable Shapes let us in on a new song– one that is newer than the album they were releasing. This new track was heavier than their previous stuff and continued to show this band’s evolution. Hearing this new track told me that, although they had just accomplished the giant feat of a brilliant record, this band still has more to prove, and I will continue to be in the front row for as many of their upcoming shows as possible so I can see this next stage of the band come to fruition.

Sure, get excited for your friends who are getting married and having babies, but make sure to get excited for your musician friends when they do something as big as releasing a new album. Go out and support them. Buy the record, buy the poster, and support these local bands who are pouring their sweat and tears into the music that speaks to you and makes you feel seen. Again, and I can not stress this enough, a huge congrats to Unstable Shapes, and make sure to check out ‘Delicate Machinery’ out now on Learning Curve Records.

Line Up:

Tender Comrade

Battery Eyes

Lovely Dark

Unstable Shapes

Venue: Zhora Darling

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 33

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 2 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- 0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Tender Comrade – 0

Battery Eyes – 3 according to my past posts but I swear it’s more than that

Lovely Dark – 0

Unstable Shapes – 5 according to my lists but, again, I swear it’s more than that

Celebrity Sightings – Members of Toilet Rats / Modern Wildlife

Overall Score – 9.7 out of 10

Show on Deck — Pinkshift / The Linda Lindas

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