As I start my night at the Astoria Hotel, I again find myself impressed with this ancient venue. Each time I return, small changes show people are investing in this venue again, which is critical in keeping shit open in this city.
The fantastic duo MOLTEN LAVA started it all off with their loud and smashy offering of noisy goodness.
Massive drums that weren’t just loud, but fucking exciting and fun as fuck. Not only is the drummer entertaining and their onstage rhetoric hilarious, they fucking slay as they play shit out of that kit.
This duo are long-time collaborators -both in the awesome PET BLESSINGS, among others- which shows in their connection and vibe. Thick as fuck bass tones mixed with those drums so well; it is so fun to watch the two of them do their thing.
Next was a band I caught for the first time a few months back, FIRING LINE, and I have been stoked for a second one. Thick and hardcore was the game here, and they played it beautifully.
A dedicated screamer up front just giving it nonstop, going so hard I was starting to bet on an aneurysm, dropping them in the middle of a scream. What a fucking scream it was too.
Not just screaming but growling and yelling, a superb range of ear-bleeding goodness. Despite the band thundering out huge sounds, led by big beautiful drums, there were no issues; they just climbed up onto that wall of sound and screamed.
Finally, closing the night out with a more chill turn, with a first offering from the quartet HOTEL DECOR giving us a catchy, upbeat dose of indie/alternative jams. While they took the intensity of the night’s vibe down, they kept the energy elevated and had me flying all over the front of the floor.
Great catchy riffs, groovy bass riffs, and a touch of sexy mixing in with the fun as fuck drums made this a fantastic set to close the night. It was a good-sized crowd that stayed till the end and were grooving to this fun set.
On paper, this lineup would leave one scratching their heads, but it worked really well in the end, and He was pleased with the night’s offerings.