After last night TCM will have to come up with a trophy for “most improved audience”. I saw Bad Suns last fall at the Fine Line and it was good, but last night’s show at the Cedar Cultural Center was next level energy. I was filling in for one of our writers who got sick so I got the venue a bit unprepared and was surprised to already find a good sized crowd for the first opener.
QTY is the duo of Dan Lardner and Alex Niemetz. The set started with jokes about Dan’s sweater and he jokingly labeled one guy in the audience as “Anti-Sweater”. Clearly the crowd was a lot more familiar with their music than I was. The set was only 20 minutes but really good with a bit of Kurt Vile vibe (without the Cousin IT look).
Set List: Rodeo / Michael / Ornaments / Cold Thoughts / ?? / World Breaker / Silver Arrow?
SoCal’s Hunny was up next and upped the tempo with a drum intro that had fans clapping along in no time. Their sound is a blend of synth pop and indie rock (with a quite Miami Vice 80s styled keyboard player (in a good way)). Singer Jason Yarger’s voice reminded me a bit of the Cure’s Robert Smith at times (especially when I was not looking) if the Cure would be singing happier songs. Yarger finished their last song “Parking Lot” in the crowd. All in all a very nice set raising the energy level.
Bad Suns named their tour the “Love Like Revenge Fall Tour” – maybe a hint at the title of a new album? They released their new single “This was a Home once” at the end of September. Standing close to the stage surrounded by fans a lot shorter, younger and decidedly more female than me, I felt the excitement release as soon as they hit the stage. Maybe it was the wider stage (compared to the Fine Line), maybe the crowd was younger, maybe they picked up a lot more fans with last year’s “Disappear Here” – all it know the energy was electric. Singer Christo Bowman commands attention on stage and knows how to work a crowd. Bad Suns worked in a few songs from their debut Album “Language & Perspective” for longtime fans. Overall this was the most fun and lively set I has seen at the Cedar in a long time.
Set List: Disappear Here / Love Like Revenge / Transpose / 20 Years / Even in My Dreams, I Can’t Win / Sleep Paralysis / We Move Like The Ocean / Violet / Off She Goes / Maybe We’re Meant to Be Alone / Defeated / Dancing On Quicksand / This Was a Home Once / Swimming in the Moonlight / Daft Pretty Boys / Outskirts of Paradise / Cardiac Arrest Encore Rearview / Heartbreaker / Salt
