Show Reviews
Circle Takes The Square @ Shred Shed 04.18 with Visitors,...
Nothing is better than the month of April—the weather is warm, the patio furniture is out and the bands roll in. Friday was no exception to this situation, as Circle Takes the Square stomped into Utah that evening. … read more
Cunninlynguists @ Urban Lounge 04.17 with Dumb Luck, Nemo Achida,...
There’s nothing like arriving painfully early to the Urban Lounge on a Thursday. It’s dark, covered in the sticky residue of alcohol and/or sweat and sort of sad—like a teenage boy’s basement bedroom. I roosted in one of the decrepit booths and listened to an hour of sound check and A Tribe Called Quest being played at a shittily loud volume. Being a white girl from the suburbs, I take a certain pride in my love for Tribe. I felt like screaming to the three male strangers in the room, “THIS IS MY JAM, FUCKERS!” … read more
Phantogram @ In The Venue 04.16 with TEEN
“FAAAACK!” I scream as I trip over the exact same invisible stair I tripped over when we arrived. I recuperate instantly and we escape outside. Walking down 600 West to our car, we discuss the last few hours and come to a couple agreements: Phantogram is awesome but a little over the top, and TEEN is, like, the coolest new band right now. … read more
Sleeper Agent @ Kilby Court 04.19 with Holychild, Pagiins
All the passion that fuels everything onstage comes from everything offstage. Here I was amongst fast food workers, grocery store clerks and every other kind of nametag-wearing professional, feeling like a warm blanket of humanity was wrapped around my shoulders. Rock is insanity but it comes from the emotions of people. Sleeper Agent, Holychild and Pagiins didn’t need any flashing lights to bring people to Kilby Court that Saturday; just the steady thump of a driving beat and the type of howl that brings all the dark’s delightful creatures. … read more
Until The Violence Stops: Rape Recovery Benefit Show 04.18
In light of April being sexual assault awareness month, the best of Salt Lake City came together to help raise money for the Rape Recovery Center. Westminster College partly produced and financed the event, which was held at their the newly built dorm building, Westminster on the Draw, while organizations like Westminster’s V-Day Club and local businesses such as Raunch and Diabolical Records were sponsors. Local bands Barbaloot Suitz, Genre Zero, Bombshell Academy, Wildcat Strike and Juana Ghani took to the stage for the concert portion of the event. … read more
The Blue Aces @ Velour 04.18 with June Cat, Ocean...
Finally, it was time for the show’s centerpiece. Let’s get something straight, right off the bat. The Blue Aces are what rock and roll is about. No joke. They are, to borrow a term from the streets, “Da Truth!” After a few minutes of set up, the lights went down and drummer, Alisa Ramirez, started into the opening beats of “Heartbreaker” as the crowd went crazy. … read more
Katie Herzig @ Urban Lounge 04.15 with Mideau, Mindy Gledhill
Mideau is on the rise. Fresh off South by Southwest, with an EP just released, a full length on its heels and armed with a thoughtful brand of indie pop, the duo is looking to follow the recent trend of commercially successful acts coming out of the Beehive State. … read more
Peelander-Z, Chalk, Problem Daughter @ Urban Lounge 04.10
I wake up to Peelander Yellow, Red and Green toting massive amounts of props, instruments and signs onto the stage only to play an extended version of “Check! Check! Check! Yeah!” and ask the audience, “Are you ready!?” to which the audience enthusiastically replies, “Yes!” only to be crushed with, “Good, we need two more minutes!” What can only be intro music to the insanity that’s about to unfold begins to play as three anime characters come running onto the stage yelling in nearly indiscernible Japanese accents: “Salt Lake City, PARTY TIME!!!!” … read more
OFF!, NASA Space Universe, Thunderfist @ The Loading Dock 04.16
In 2010, when footage of OFF! first started showing up online, fans of old California hardcore music lost their minds. Was it really possible that Keith Morris was fronting a punk rock super-group that could cram 16 songs into less than 20 minutes? It was possible, and it was actually happening. This was welcome news to fans of hardcore young and old—mostly because it meant that Morris had a reason to tour again, and once he hit the road, there was a solid chance that he’d play your town. … read more
Little Daylight, Terraplane Sun, Flagship @ The Shred Shed 04.15
One of the charming aspects of Salt Lake City is being surrounded by everything that I need at a moment’s notice. Before stopping into the show, I grabbed a few drinks at Wasted Space and had a bite to eat at The Pie Hole—both within earshot of The Shred Shed– a beautiful example of SLC’s cultural geography. As part of the Three of Clubs Tour, Flagship, Little Daylight and Terraplane Sun hit Salt Lake on their way to Vancouver, putting on a show that was engaging throughout the bands’ performances as well as between sets. … read more