Sunday was a huge confidence booster for music in this city. A multitude of shows took place around the city, and all appealed to a mixed group of attendees. I made it to two, starting my day with the matinee show at Gallery 5 and catching sets from Hail Hydra, Black Wine, Night Birds, Bad Advice, and Wasted Time. I really enjoyed all of the sets and the Sunday matinee format at Gallery 5 has been a huge success so far. Against all prior evidence indicating that shows in Richmond start at least two hours after the advertised time, people are coming out to the matinees, and they are coming at early enough times that the shows are still considered matinees. I really hope both the venue and the crowds keep up the good work.
Sunday was a huge confidence booster for music in this city. A multitude of shows took place around the city, and all appealed to a mixed group of attendees. I made it to two, starting my day with the matinee show at Gallery 5 and catching sets from Hail Hydra, Black Wine, Night Birds, Bad Advice, and Wasted Time. I really enjoyed all of the sets and the Sunday matinee format at Gallery 5 has been a huge success so far. Against all prior evidence indicating that shows in Richmond start at least two hours after the advertised time, people are coming out to the matinees, and they are coming at early enough times that the shows are still considered matinees. I really hope both the venue and the crowds keep up the good work.
The main event for me was a house show at the Tight House, which I made it to with thirty minutes to spare after leaving Gallery 5. The first band was local folk-pop-punkers Pedals on Our Pirate Ships. Currently one of my favorite live bands in the city, Pedals’ infectious melodies paired with the always endearingly intoxicated antics of front man Matt Seymour make for a great show. Concentrating on a lot of their new material, which are easily the most thought out and well crafted songs this band has ever written, this was one of the best sets I’ve ever seen them play.
Next up was Cheap Girls from Lansing, MI. Singer Ian Graham told me he considers songs like the Gin Blossoms’ Found Out About You and Hey Jealousy to be American standards, and it comes through in his songwriting. He takes the mid tempo melodic rock feel of bands like the Gin Blossoms and combines it with the fuck-it-all-ness of other nineties acts like Nirvana. Even though Graham could barely stand due to a knee injury he picked up over the weekend at Rad Fest, they played a great set to a packed basement and were rewarded by enthusiastic sing-a-longs from the crowd throughout the entirety of their set.
After Cheap Girls was RVIVR from Olympia, WA. I was really excited to see this band, as it is hard to ignore certain prior projects from a band member. They didn’t disappoint, delivering the rough posi-punk melodies that you would expect from singer Matt Canino, but with some smoother equally catchy female vocals to add some more depth to the band. The music is fantastic, and the live delivery was energetic and passionate.
Cheap Girls’ label mates The Riot Before closed out the show. It was their first Richmond house show in almost two years. They played a solid mix of old songs along with new ones from their recently released full length, Rebellion. Seeing them in a basement reminded me of why I started listening to this band years ago – they play hard, and there is no denying how much they love making music. I hope this isn’t the last time they play a house venue in Richmond. It’s where they fit best, and their set, along with the rest of this show, reminds me of the golden days of the Richmond house show scene of a few years ago. Let’s hope this trend continues.
