It was a great night to be at the Replay Lounge on Friday, June 12th. A full crowd packed into the Replay for a local music triple-header that would be feared by King Ghidorah himself.
Opening the show was Via Luna, who readers might remember as the band who finished second in this year’s Farmers’ Ball contest. Via Luna played in peak form, reinvigorating their audience with math-rock guitar licks and solid onstage chemistry. The band opened their segment by playing material off of their Calm and Clear EP, later delving into new material that was debuted only months ago. Watching Christopher Gordon play on stage is extremely entertaining. He eyes the crowd like a hawk and bobs his head with lighthearted swagger as he cranks out song after song. He is a ball of energy that doesn’t scream for attention. Instead, he naturally lures you in by wooing you with his guitar.
Overall, their math-rock expertise was warmly accepted by the Replay crowd. There was an extremely positive tone at the venue the entire night and a lot of that was due to Via Luna’s solid opening performance.
If there is one band to keep your eye on for the rest of 2015, it is Via Luna. They recently announced that their new EP will be released by the end of June.
Tree Machines, a Lawrence based indie-pop rock band, were the next to perform. Tree Machines is composed of Douglas Woolridge and Patrick Aubry, who made up what was once Sobriquet.
The band gathered the positive energy that Via Luna created, put all of it in its hand, and threw back a wall of angst-drive sound. Via Luna left people standing in amazement. Tree Machines was able to get people moving with passion. Friendly bumps, grinds, and head bangs were being exchanged throughout the course of an hour. Though their set started with tracks like “The Fire,” they would continue to get even hotter with songs such as “F***ing Off Today” and “At the Wheel.”
Audience members clamored for more at the end of the band’s performance. Knowing Tree Machines, the band will outdo themselves again for their next live performance.
At the end of the night, the hungry and energetic crowd at the Replay Lounge was given the perfect cure for its condition. The psychedelic Lawrence-based band, No Cave, delivered another crazy performance featuring music off of their EP, Eyes Brighter Than the Sun.
No Cave continues to spin heads with their amazing ability to go harder, and louder, than each of their previous performances. Ross Williams’ howling vocals and catchy lyrics always seems to get people to scream at the top of their lungs. Nick Frederickson was finally able to showcase his loud and aggressive drumming presence after intently watching the previous two drummers. James Thomblison continues to master the bass lines while adventuring into the crowd and dancing non-stop on stage.
No Cave, winners of this year’s Farmers’ Ball concert, consistently proves why they are one of the most entertainingly talented bands in the area. It was only fitting that they closed out an exciting and energetic night at the Replay Lounge.
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