Yesterday was definitely a Monday. My eight hours of work felt more like 84 hours and, after day-drinking and then going to the show on Sunday night, I was more than exhausted. I was honestly more excited to go home and take a nap than to go out to a show but skipping shows just isn’t my style so I took my nap, ate my dinner, grabbed a friend and headed downtown for the show.
My friend Jessica and I walked into the 7th Street Entry and were a bit surprised (good surprised, not the bad kind) at the size of the crowd. Honestly, I don’t think either of us were expecting much in the way of audience size since it was a Monday night and, well, we thought we were seeing a very up and coming band. Apparently, headliner Diet Cig and opening act Sports are not up and coming acts. They are both already here and here to stay. Mark my words, these two bands are going to be the big buzz bands this fall if things keep going the way they are for these guys.
Sports from Philadelphia opened up the show in the most perfect way. This four-piece group had to have been one of the most painfully awkward bands when it came to killing time in-between songs but, because of how genuine it was, it had me not only laughing with the rest of the packed house, but also falling head over heels for this band.
Their sound is a very unique brand of indie-pop that makes you want to get up and dance. There’s really no other word to describe these guys’ music other than fun. The quirkiness of the straight-forward lyrics completely match the members’ awkwardness which made everything about their set feel genuine. There was nothing fake or over the top about this band. Their charm came directly from the fact that Sports is no more than four friends in a band being themselves. That realness is something that seems to be lost for many bands so it was more than refreshing to see it on stage from this band that I had never even heard of before.
Sports’ music, as I mentioned was very indie-pop and upbeat. They reminded me a bit of The Front Bottoms only with a female singer. Their lyrics were about every day situations that you find yourself in and every ex that you still pops into your mind every once in awhile. The genuine lyrics matched the shining personalities that graced the stage creating a very authentic atmosphere that was more than contagious. It didn’t matter if you came to that show alone, with a friend, or with your significant other… you were bobbing along to the music and bumping into strangers that were quickly turning into friends.
After a fairly quick change-over, duo Diet Cig took the stage. You could feel the anticipation in the air as singer/ guitarist Alex Luciano and drummer Noah Bowman took their spots. The duo wasted no time and jumped right into their distinctive indie-pop songs. Much like Sports, the music was extremely upbeat and instantly the entire crowd was either bobbing their head, dancing like a fool, or at least had a giant grin on their face. Alex’s energy and smile were contagious and seemed to spread through the venue like wildfire. I mean, it was completely impossible to be bummed out during Diet Cig’s set.
Alex’s energy was something to be envious of. I’m not sure if she ever really just stood there while she played. She was constantly jumping and pacing across the stage in a way that made you feel more than lazy for just standing in the crowd. When she addressed the crowd in-between songs, her personality seemed to bubble over and, at times, could seem to be a bit much but, being that it was a Monday, maybe that was exactly what I needed to just let loose a little bit.
With talk about people’s star signs (Alex is a leo, fire sign, whereas most of Sports are air signs but, don’t worry, they all get along great!), and wanting to go wander through the Mall of America late at night, the banter between Alex and the crowd seemed just as genuine as the adorable awkwardness that Sports had displayed earlier in the night.
Having formed just three years ago and with only one studio album out, I would still consider Diet Cig a fairly new band. As I mentioned previously, I was a bit surprised to find myself in a packed venue for the show but as soon as they took the stage, it all made sense. Diet Cig is definitely going to be one of the bigger buzz bands by the end of the summer if they keep this up. Hell, I’d bet you a ticket that next time they come to town they are playing First Avenue Mainroom.
Yesterday was definitely a Monday but Sports and Diet Cig made it a bit more bearable. The authenticity of both of these bands was astonishing and their music was on point. Both Diet Cig and Sports are more than worth your attention. Don’t you want to be one of the people that is able to say, “I remember seeing them before they were much of anything!” Well, that window is closing very quickly so get on it!