Review by: Phil Glasser
Radio Radio is an awesome venue. From its soft red and gold lighting and diner high tops, to its modern style front-of-house furnishings, this place vibrates with appeal. Propped up on a stool in the middle of several high top tables, I could easily get the hand crafted bar, screening a subtitled Bollywood film even the staff couldn’t explain (ed note: Aaron Caudle could!), but I digress. From my position I could see the stage with ease, although my view would be partially obstructed by the fans that gravitated towards the stage as Ancient Slang began to tune in. But hey, that’s what you get when you decide to sit down at a punk rock show.
Ancient Slang took the stage around 9:15 p.m. playing to a mostly male crowd of approximately 60-70 people. The trio consisted of electric guitar, bass guitar and drums, beginning the set with a guitar lead drone jam. The intro set everyone up for some punk up-tempo riffs, complemented nicely by the steady rhythms of percussion. As with any punk-ish band, the vocals left something to be desired. The heavy riffs and loud drum playing overwhelmed anything the group was trying to present vocally. Their set lasted roughly 40 minutes, but I caught myself toe-tapping for most of it.
Television Ghost took plenty of time to get going, almost completely erasing the momentum created by Ancient Slang. Once it got underway, the quintet consisting of 2 electric guitars, a bass, drums, and a synth player, stamped their trippy sound on the night. Using a range of effects on guitar and synth TV Ghost dug deep into my brain but left me wanting more. Riff heavy songs were almost drowned in feedback, making it impossible to understand what the lead vocalist was saying. Their energy, however, was amazing, with the lead singer stomping all over the stage and at one point completely losing his balance as he fell to the stage, not missing a beat. While it was entertaining to watch, their sound was repetitive and left me feeling exhausted and disconnected.
From the moment Metz started playing, it was apparent why they were the headliner. The trio radiated an aggressive energy that could be felt all the way out the door. Taking the stage just after 11:00, Metz’s fast tempo and in-your-face riffs freed me from the TV Ghost trance. Where the opening acts erred in stretching out their songs for too long, overplaying and thus desensitizing the crowd to the edgy sound, Metz kept their pieces short and sweet. This gave the audience a punch in the face and kept them wanting more.
Plenty entertaining show if punk/alternative is your genre, and a unique entertainment experience on a Monday night for only $10. Well done folks. Well done, indeed.
