Last Wednesday, Gallery 5 hosted local band Last Century, Boston-based Pretty and Nice, and D.C.-based Title Tracks.
Last Wednesday, Gallery 5 hosted local band Last Century, Boston-based Pretty and Nice, and D.C.-based Title Tracks.
Last Century‘s blend of hard-rock and vague harmonies left much to be desired. The audience wasn’t responsive or engaged. Their presence didn’t stray far from the garage or basement they likely practice in. By the end of their set, the audience had grown, but was still more interested in their conversations than what was happening on stage.
Pretty and Nice took to the stage and ever so gracefully, vocalist and guitar player Jeremy Mendicino adjusting his voice to a convincing Transylvania accent, “Greetings! We are Pretty and Nice”. They opened with a lively ‘Grab Your Nets’ that (GASP!) actually had people moving – some were even dancing. The majority of their set came from 2008’s ‘Get Young’ (Hardly Art) an album that maintained themes of love, tourism, and all things Japanese. “This is a love song,” frontman Holden Lewis said of ‘Hideaway Tokyo’. Jeremy took this pause in the set to address the distance between the stage and the audience, about a ten foot gap. Slowly, people started to move forward. The energy was maintained throughout the entire set and banter that can sometimes be forced was easy and well received. Towards the close of their set they played a new song about World War III ‘Hyena’, Holden reminded us, “it hasn’t happened, yet.” Perhaps the theme of their next album? I hope so. Just shy of closing their set they played fan-favorite ‘Tora Tora Tora’ before swinging into “one more melodramatic song, we hope you don’t mind.” No one did. Before leaving the stage, Jeremy made one last request, “Please come talk to us.”
Headlining was Title Tracks, fronted by John Davis. In the crowd were many fans of his former projects Q and Not U and Georgie James. Their set was hurried and without banter, probably to accommodate Richmond’s laws regarding all-ages shows. They opened with the breakup anthem ‘Every Little Bit Hurts’. Davis’ voice emanates an air of pleasantry – he could sing about genocide and it would still sound happy. I don’t think he could write a sad song if he tried. Despite the shortness of their set, they managed to fit in nine songs including ‘Found Out’ and ‘Steady Love’. The swing in and out of each song was cohesive and inviting, though the show ended abruptly and left many wishing for an encore.
