Show Reviews
Ugly Duckling at Urban Lounge
Hip hop shows, as most people who have attended them in Utah will know, can be a mixed bag. The performance-oriented nature of hip hop creates an incredible burden for those on stage, while the crowd can act however it pleases. Usually, fans are there for the headlining act, and will not have heard of any of the openers. With that quick primer, let’s compare the acts who recently took the stage at the Urban Lounge to show us what hip hop’s all about. … read more
King Khan & The Shrines @ Urban
There are very few live performances that live up to their hype. Weeks before the King Khan show took place there were already whispers that it would sell out. The day of the show there were even rumors that the show would sell out before doors even opened. The general feeling seemed to be that everyone who knew anything about music would be attending King Khan. … read more
Passion Pit @ In the Venue
When I arrived at In The Venue I was not expecting to see a giant line around the block. The guys, decked out in ironically funny vintage t-shirts they had carefully selected from a thrift store, overly tight pants and loafers, battled for scenester status with the ladies, sporting undone hair, leggings or stretch pants, thrifted shirts and grandma shoes. I figured hipsters like this had become more miniscule after the siege of indie rock had calmed, but I was so wrong. … read more
Swedes Attack: Liitle Dragon & Miike Snow
Mythically, Sweden makes two things exceptionally well: hot skirts and great pop/dance music (ABBA, The Knife, Jose Gonzalez, Miike Snow). Two of those exports, Little Dragon and Miike Snow, played at the Urban Lounge last week. … read more
Get Lucky
Get Lucky, the latest rave produced by V2 events, was a perfect example of the rave scene in Utah: great music, way too many people. The rave scene here has blown up in the past four years, and almost every V2 event at Saltair in the last two years has been bigger than the last. This year was no exception: the event was oversold by at least a thousand people, making for a frustrating night. … read more
The Appleseed Cast @ Kilby Court
Do you remember being in high school? Do you remember that impressionable stage in life when great shows weren’t just great shows; they were “OMG! That was the best show of my life!” Or when great albums were life-changing works of impossible art? This was certainly the case for me when I was 16 and saw The Appleseed Cast for the first time at the Bluebird in Denver, CO. … read more
The Creepshow @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge
I arrived at the dark dank spot on State Street known as Burt’s Tiki Lounge early to make sure I got a good spot that offered a choice line of sight of the so called stage. The normal crowd of gutter punks were perched at the bar nursing their hang over from the weekend. Having an ultra, mega, schoolyard crush on the Creepshow lead singer Sara “Sin” Blackwood, I couldn’t wait to see her hit that stage.
Alec Ounsworth at Kilby Court
For pretty much as long as I can remember I’ve had a deeply rooted opposition to and disgust for mustaches. I guess it’s an unfair generalization, but from a young age I observed that the only people who had ‘staches were cops, weasel-faced Nazis, and guys who used one hand to turn up their Hank Jr. tape while using the other to polish the fender of their four wheeler after a holiday weekend at the sand dunes. A few years ago a new breed of mustache-wearer became far more prominent in the mostly still stagnant facial hair scene: the sarcastic hipster … read more
How The Grouch Stole Christmas
Some of California’s truest and most dialed hip hop OGs came to SLC in early December as part of the “How the Grouch Stole Christmas” tour. Kicking off the tour right here in Salt Lake, The Grouch came with Mistah Fab, Fashawn and Exile to start off the string of B and E’s and the holiday sprit. … read more
Del the Funkee Homosapien 12.11.2009 The Urban Lounge
If you were planning on catching Del at the Urban Lounge on Friday the 11th, I hope you pre-rolled your L’s ahead of time. Long lines, brick temperatures and a sold out show made for some unhappy folks on the outside… … read more