Another Friday night rolls around, and the herald has selected Bully’s Studios as the source of tonight’s offerings. Always an enjoyable venue, one the Herald considers home base, Bully’s is again undergoing renovations, and the stage has grown considerably.
The new stage allows bands room to roam and not be elbow to elbow. Of course, the flailing area has expanded, meaning the herald will always have adequate room to fulfill his one and only duty to Him.
TICKLING GRANDMA
Kicking off the evening, this duo from Langley offered their second offering with a high-energy dose of electro-rock. They were well-balanced, and I could hear everything perfectly; this drummer and guitarist had great energy and a confident stage presence, bringing a swagger to their offering.
Complete with their own light show, killing all other lights, they created a dark dance club mood. Flickering, flashing, darkness, all syncing up with the beats of the songs, getting me vibing and flailing hard.
They both sang on every song, back and forth, at the same time, adding to the good-time bounce-around vibe. The drums are solid and steady, with a lot of snare rolls. Nothing complicated; steady bouncing jams lay down a killer foundation for the flailing.
They opened with a cover of ‘Living La Vida Loca,’ which I found novel and amusing on the first offering. Less so with this one, though it’s still a good time. I suspect it will be one of those covers that continues its enjoyability descent.
Good sized crowd, though near zero movement. A couple of folks up front were moving with me, but it was a very docile crowd for the fantastic good times presented to us. Fucking killer live show.
DIAL NINE
The second repeat offering on the night, this trio dosed out a selection of emo, garage/grungy rock, with a moderate tempo giving the set a bopping/mild head-banging vibe.
There was a real raw emotional element, with good vocals setting the tone. In one song in particular, the singer/bassist played a solo song, and the effect of just their voice and the steady bass strumming was haunting.
The guitar was good, though limited in what they did. They were underutilized and played mainly as a rhythm guitar. There was talent there and would love to see them engage more with the songs.
The drums were simple, though a little sloppy. I really dug the simplicity of everything played. If they tighten up those screws, it would really service the songs better.
The front was now populated, and a few select folks were getting into the sway of things. Movement was still at a minimum, which was somewhat expected as the pace was rarely smashing around and moshing.
ANIMALS WEARING ANIMALS
This was the first offering from this instrumental duo, who gave my earholes a wicked fill of hard-grooving rock. It’s some excellent desert rock rides and the expressive guitar playing the part of vocals, creating a full soundscape.
With some pre-recorded noises aiding them, the guitar and drums were massive, with a huge smashing sound and many killer riffs. Wearing a tiger onesie befitting the band’s name, the guitarist had the sexiest tones to work with.
Drums were so smashy, wicked double kick, laying down the most delectable grooves to flail along to. Big and stompy, head banging, twirl and whirl, they had a little bit of everything.
They had great energy and minimal crowd interaction, which kept things flowing nicely. The crowd was more animated for this offering, with many people getting their groove on as engagement picked up.
STORMBREATHER
This is the first offering from this group as a duet. The singer and guitarist, dressed in steampunk attire, did their thing using pre-recorded drums and bass. There is a good dose of metal, time signature changes, and all the head-banging good times.
The guitarist brought a ton of energy to that stage, pacing constantly and often coming down into the crowd with their nifty wireless. Throughout the set, their outfit fell away, impossible to stay on with all that killer guitar work and non-stop movement.
The lack of live drums and the feeling of bass in the belly didn’t do the music justice. I enjoyed the fuck out of it still and would like to see them again as a full band.
The crowd had thinned out some by this point, but those that remained were grooving to this final offering. Ample room to get some good flail head-banging going.
He was pleased with tonight’s offerings.