My first show of the year did not disappoint, all three bands sounded great in their own ways. Getting inside was slightly delayed when some kids got thrown out of line (possibly for drinking or drugs) and tried to pick a fight with the people checking IDs and fortunately, security promptly kicked them out. Their friends were there to drag them away and reprimand them for being stupid.
After that scuffle, we waited a few more minutes while guest list people were checked in and got inside while Von Haze were on. Von Haze sounded pretty good, kind of mellow and synth-y at the same time. I’d say they are sort of like The Kills, but without the grit. Not a really great description, but thats how they sound to me based on their BandPage.
Next band was Cold Showers, who really impressed me. They have very reverb-heavy synth sound (which you can hear on their BandPage) and sometimes sound a bit like A Place to Bury Strangers. There actually seemed to be a large crowd for them, which sadly thinned out for Toy. The crowd also prevented me from getting any decent photos, though I did enjoy the show from the back of the Echo.
TOY were worth the wait, as it was after midnight by the time they hit the stage. They played a great set of dreamy psychedelic rock, with accompanying backdrops to match the sounds. A row of guitarists gave you an idea that they would be a noisy rock band, but TOY are more complex in sound – layers of beautiful noise, with one main singer. They have a couple free songs to download through their Facebook page.
My photos from the show are on Flickr, though none too impressive being all from the back and side of the Echo. Here’s also some Instagram videos of Von Haze and Toy:
