Girl at the Rock Shows

The long weekend started early for those at The 7th Street Entry on Wednesday night. Although a lot of us still had one more day of work before the 4th of July holiday, the electric energy that was floating through the air at the entry made it feel more like a celebratory Friday night than a sleepy Wednesday. This could have been due to people simply needing a break, or it was due to the fun energy that the music was giving us. Either way, being at the 7th Street Entry on Wednesday was exciting, energizing, hot, and sweaty —it was perfect.

California-based Death Lens was up first. Although this was the only band out of the three-band line-up that I had never heard of before this show, I was instantly enamored by their sound and their energy. Soundwise, Death Lens was very Turnstile meets H2O with a dash of Fidlar. It was a hard sound with soft edges and a sense of aggressive political discourse. Being a band made up of immigrants, this group absolutely has things to be angry about, and I loved that they wove that throughout their set and then took a couple of minutes before performing their final song to really explain it in conversation form. The other thing I loved about this moment was how the entire audience was behind them and supported them. Hearing them passionatly talk about the issues that they face and the issues plaguing their communities and seeing this sold-out audience cheering in support of what they were saying reminded me that, although this world can be darker than dark at times, there are bright spots and one of those bright spots is at concerts where people support each other rather than trying to tear them down.

The last time I saw the next act, Beach Goons, was all the way back in October of 2019 when they were opening for Matt & Kim at the First Avenue mainroom. Although that was a whole lifetime and a million and twelve things have changed since then, the energy, fun, and fire that Beach Goons brings to a stage has not, and that made my heart so full. Their quick and punky songs hit me right in the soul. Although Beach Goons is a band that I don’t spend much time with in my daily playlists, I instantly recognized some of their tracks as being anthems to my life at a different time. Something about hearing them play those familiar yet forgotten songs, mixed with new ones that, although new to me, had the same vibe and the same sunny feel, was absolutely perfect. Another absolutely perfect thing was the way the band seemed to split their set between English and Spanish songs. It was in line with the outcry of Death Lens but came in a different form, which kept politics at the forefront without making it a repetitive night of bands asking people to open their eyes to what was going on. Maybe the “Goons” of Beach Goons read the room and realized that we were all fighting the same fight, or maybe taking a moment to preach just isn’t their style. Either way, their set hit just as hard as that of Death Lens’ and left such a great taste in my mouth when it comes to this almost forgotten band.

The story behind the headlining act, Wavves, is one as old as time. This band has been grinding and grinding and, if you ask me, still has yet to get the attention that they deserve, but that hasn’t stopped them from touring this country and spreading the word of their slightly aggressive and overly fun indie-rock sound. Okay, calling this band an indie rock band is a bit unfair, but it’s the simplest way to describe it. If you really want to get into it, this band is more of a California-surf-punk-meets-indie-alt-punk-with-poppy-undertones-and-no-lack-of-angst, but, come on, that just gets a little wordy, doesn’t it?

As mentioned, this band has been doing their thing for a hot minute, since 2008, to be exact. They have released nine full-length albums, including my personal favorite, ‘Afraid of Heights.’ Although every album they put out seems to have its own unique personality attached to it, there’s no question when you hear a Wavves song. You know it’s Wavves from the slight California-surf jangle and the abundance of chill yet fiery emotion. Unfortunately, like Beach Goons, I fear that this is one of those bands with whom, as much as I love them, I just don’t spend a lot of one-on-one time listening to their music, and this was a regret I felt heavily throughout their time on stage on Wednesday night.

I’ll be honest, I was feeling the weight of the week on my shoulders and in my head on Wednesday night, so I kept to the edges of the small and dark venue to just observe everything going on. That was a mistake, within the first song from Wavves, I regretted my decision to try to photograph at this show. Not only was it sold out, making it next to impossible to get good and clear shots of this band, but the floor of the venue had been transformed into a sweaty mess of flying limbs and jumping bodies. It was a good old-fashioned mosh pit, and I so badly wanted to be a part of it, but with a camera strapped to me, that got a bit risky, and it was just a risk I was not willing to take. It’s not that I didn’t see this coming. I knew that Wavves could bring energy to a stage if only because their music is so full of life, but I guess I just wasn’t expecting the music to hit me as hard as it did and to leave me wondering if my camera and I could survive a small dip into the mosh pit.

I don’t have a profound ending for you on this review. Truthfully, Wednesday night at the 7th Street Entry was just one of those good ol’ fashioned rock shows that served as a great reminder of why I do this night after night. It’s because of the energy, love, appreciation, and admiration that remained in the spotlight throughout the night.

Line Up:

Death Lens

Beach Goons

Wavves

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Sweat

Average Age of the Crowd: 22

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability – 6 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Drinks

Sausage-Fest Meter – 12 out of 10

Fights- None

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)-

Death Lens – 0

Beach Goons – 1

Wavves – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8 out of 10

Show on Deck — Jenn Taiga / Paths of the Eternal / Desolation Plains / Magenta Vice

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