Last night was a fun night for everyone who came out to Europa to watch NY and Chicago rock the stage. It was a great CMJ party thrown by fellow friends/bloggers Hannah from Sheenabeaston (who was great to finally meet after all our twitter exchanges) and Jeff from The Culture of Me. They really put together an awesome line up that was perfect for the venue.
The free PBR from 9-10 was the perfect way to start the night off, and by the time PBR dream ended, Tempo No Tempo had came on to the stage to bring some rocking tunes to our ears, jumping around, getting into the music, they put on an awesome performance that got the night started.
Next came My Gold Mask, From Chicago, they are a 2 piece duo that brought some chiller rock music. Only having a Kick drum, Tom, some percussion and a a really cool nylon electric guitar, they put out a show that was very minimalistic, but yet was till able to convey some pop in it. Another cool thing was the vocal ability singer Gretta Rochelle had. She can go from a soft sweet voices to an in your face “I have some attitude” sound that is a great counterpoint to the other. The other thing I like about their set was how incredibly simple it was. with Gretta playing the drums and Jack Armondo playing the guitar, the dynamic worked very well for their sound. The drumming had very tribal, rhythmic patterns that served as the foundations for Jack to shred it on the guitar. It is very easy to see why people were now moving around more and getting excited.
Next came local favorites Flashmen, who despite some sound hang-ups pulled through a good set. Their singer, Daniel E, who lives in Chicago came into town along with their drummer, Justin Edington, who is from Indiana to play a live set (Only the 2nd time they have played together). Playing some of their regular disco infused tunes, they decided to end their set with a cover versions of their latest two remixes produced for Visitor and Keenhouse which included vocals from keyboardist Bradly D’s girlfriend Clarissa. Clarissa has a voice and I hope I hear more if it in the future.
Awesome New Republic (ANR) was the last live band to play last night, and it couldn’t have been a better choice. These guys rock in every word possible. Catchy tunes, falsetto harmonies, power pop guitar riffs, its all there for that quintessential “indie-dance/rock” sound. They played a ton of songs from their new album, Hearts, which drops this Tuesday and everyone was definitely rocking out, including yours truly, but the highlight of the night came in the last 5 minutes.
After finishing their set, and about to leave the stage, the crowd starts chanting “1 more, 1 more” next thing you know, ANR is performing an impromptu version of the star spangled banner in which everyone started chanting at the top of their lungs in chorus. A great way to end the night
Mr Vega, hopped on the decks after ANR and spun some electro to the light stick wearing crowd, and that was the end of day 3
(sorry for no pics, forgot my camera)