May 30, 2024

24-05-05 | Red Gate | Scarlet Fever, Benzonn, Autonomous Apes, Muppet Boys

Following a week of sparse offerings on the local stage, the herald is eager to return to his duties. So tonight, he will head back to Red Gate, where a selection of offerings await consumption as three repeat offerings and one first-timer vie for His pleasure.

With so many days spent on matters of mortal trivialities, the darkened cavern of Red Gate beacons the herald on this Sunday evening with promises of manic energy that is the only source of His satisfaction.

SCARLET FEVER

Kicking the night off, this quartet presented their fourth offering to my waiting ears. Their fun, pop-fuelled indie/rock jams are always a source of bop around good times, and they get better with each outing.

The solid foundation created by their new(ish) drummer, tight and creative, set up each song nicely. It was my second time seeing them play, and their technical ability elevates the band’s sound nicely.

Great bass work, playing fun and groovy riffs to get the crowd bopping. The bassist and one of the guitarists even did the classic standing back-to-back as they played, a sign of how much fun this quartet has when on stage.

They were a little low-energy compared to previous outings, a result of a rather lackluster crowd giving them very little back. The lead singers’ shy/quirky interactions with the crowd are about peak adorableness and always bring a smile to my face.

While it was a decent-sized crowd, they could have been more engaging. There was minimal movement and none right up front—well, almost none, as there was ample room for yours truly’s flailing.

BENZONN

Next to the stage was a first-time offering from this quintet, who dished out some sexy chill rock with a side of kicking it up thanks to liberally used distortion to tickle the earholes and dirty things up a bit.

Two guitarists shared the squealing duties while the bassist backed them up with groovy riffs. Drummer and keys rounded them out, all coming together into a sweet offering that had me swishing and sliding all over the floor.

The lead singer’s voice was smooth and chill, working really well to create the overall vibe as they confidently interacted with the crowd and played all sorts of sexy on their guitar. Knowing how hot it would get up there, they immediately took their shirt off.

Their first tuning break saw the drummer from BLEAKOS NUCLEAR DISCO come up and rally the non-tuning musicians into an impromptu jam complete with off-the-cuff words. It was fun and quirky and a great way to fill a long tuning break.

There was significant crowd interaction from the lead, who connected well with the crowd, with friends up front heckling them. Everyone on stage was having a good time.

While the crowd had thickened some up front, they still barely engaged with the music. Only at the end did folks get their feet moving a little.

AUTONOMOUS APES

This was the second offering in a month from this trio, who got a new bassist in between. It was a high-energy offering from this hard-rocking grunge outfit that got the crowd really moving for the first time tonight.

Engaging and entertaining front, always with dry/sarcastic humor to amuse the crowd, brought a tonne of energy to every song, moving all over the place and infusing passion into everything.

Backed by tight and creative drums, this trio is always a treat. For the second last song, the drummer played with a blindfold. I don’t know if it was a challenge or a flex, but they pulled it off nicely.

The new bassist wore a four-string fretless guitar sporting neon pink strings, looking like a frankensteined deal with a chain wrapped around it as a guitar strap. They were fantastic up there, expressive and passionate with a lot of raw talent. I’m stoked to see more from them.

At one point, the bassist even busted out a lute and showed off some serious skill with that little guitar.

The crowd had woken up and was engaged for most of the set, with a mosh pit rolling for a good chunk. Some good bouncing and crashing going on, opening up room for me to flail.

MUPPET BOYS

This was the third offering from this delightful trio, who brought a killer offering of highly energetic jams that was wonderful fun for the entire set. The energy and attitude of punk blended with rock musicianship in a perfect mix of good times.

Some blues influences in there, giving their sound a classic vibe. They were tight, energized all to fuck, and communicating well with each other; their upbeat fuck yeah jams never failed to impress me.

The lead singer/guitarist was very fluid and comfortable on stage, with great crowd engagement. They came down into the crowd, squealing killer solos with passion as they rallied the remaining masses into a bouncing frenzy. They even stole a kiss from the bassist before ripping a murderous solo.

The bassist was full of creative ideas, adding so much flavor to each song with bouncy banger riffs. The drums were straightforward, steady, giving a Meg White vibe, with bouncing smashing that served the songs so fucking good in tandem with that bass. They lay down a fantastic set for the flailing.

As per the norm, the crowd had thinned out, though not as much as one might think. Folks had come for this one, leaving more than enough energy to give this final offering on the night the due it was deserved.

He was pleased with this night’s offerings.

Infect the others