The recent indie rock concert held at the Ottobar, hosted a number of growing punk bands, and their under aged following. True, it may have been the cause of the most pathetic excuse for a mosh pit of middle schooler’s I’ve ever seen, but the inspiring artists and their meaningful music got my head bobbing.
Ascending bands All-Time Low, Huston Calls, and Adelphi opened for headliner Hidden in Plain View. All of the bands had a somewhat individual sound, but they all included banging electric guitars and moments of nothing but incoherent screeching into a large amp.
All-Time Low is a local Baltimore band, and were surprisingly the most talented and connected band of the four. They used casual conversation with the audience and each other to relate, and worked the crowd into some rowdy yelling.
Huston Calls followed, with a fresh sound and fashion statement. In a business where punk rockers grow their hair long just so that they can swipe it sweatily in front of their eyes like a golden retriever, Huston Calls was a diverse and almost nerdy-looking bunch of fellows, with a truly original sound. They bickered and bantered back and forth between each other, and looked like they actually liked each other.
Adelphi, the second-to-headliner band, were well-rehearsed, but sort of just stood on the stage pouting and not talking to one another. They acted like they were total strangers, and the crowd could feel it. While musically they were talented, their performance style was less than satisfactory.
Finally, the headliner band, Hidden in Plain View is rapidly growing in popularity, and from their lead singer’s behavior, you could tell that they know it. They did however have an incredible dual drummer performance, between the back up vocalist and the original drummer. The mini-mosh pit swelled, and I think there may even have been a few 12-year-olds trying to body surf.
Each band played about 45-minute sets, but some were prolonged due to technical difficulties. It proved, however, that Baltimore’s local music scene is thriving, if you’re willing to dig a little for it.
|
|
