Dope Body, White Laces, Navi, Mutwawa, New Turks
Thursday, September 7 at Gallery 5
I missed Baltimore’s Dope Body the last time they were in town. They opened for Future Islands and I had heard quite a stir about their set. According to a few of my friends, they outshined Future Islands in many ways. Yet the very noticeable differences in style didn’t win over new fans that were there to see the headliners. Curious after what I'd heard, I listened to a few songs online, was very impressed with what I discovered, and decided to catch their next local performance. It didn’t hurt that the lineup was rounded out with some familiar Richmond faces and a band I had yet to check out.
The setup for this show was phenomenal. Setting up the first three bands on the floor facing adjacent walls helped keep the sets flowing. New Turks were first up and they were the only unfamiliar band to me. They were a two-piece comprised of bass, drums, and vocals. Much like the dresses the group had donned, they were loud, heavy, and full of great spirit. It was interesting to see how they reflected against the other bands on the bill in terms of their approach. With their large sound, each breakdown part felt like a tumbling avalanche of sonic disarray and it was awesome. They seem fairly new to the scene, but considering the number of impressive bills they are about to jump on, I think we are going to be hearing a lot about New Turks.
MUTWAWA, were next and I am always excited to see what Gary Stevens and Jason Hodges are up to. MUTWAWA fit well into the legacy of groups the two have been in thus far, but there is a strong dance presence in the music that would seem uncharacteristic in their earlier days. For example, if you listened to Head Molt and then went to see MUTWAWA, you would probably be surprised by what you saw. The duo keep it short and sweet every time I’ve seen them. It always makes you wish they would play for a bit longer. Despite the band thinking it was one of their worst sets, I was entertained, and it made me crave the next chance I would get to see what they have been up to. It seems like they just keep putting out new tracks, and are setting quite an ambitious streak for other bands to take notice of when it comes to developing new material.
Navi were next. I can’t get enough of this band. This may have been the best time I have ever seen them. Kyle Flanagan is ridiculous on drums and I spent most of the set behind his kit, trying to make sense of it all. He has an awesome presence and it fits really well with the way Jon Hawkins approaches his guitar parts. There are these great riffs that he pulls off. The thing that impressed me was how they didn’t seem too concerned with filling every little space, which is something I think you could accuse many math rock outfits of. Hawkins will let a chord resonate and Flanagan will react to it in a dynamic way. Sometimes it’s better for bands like Navi to engage that space alignment, so that the heavier parts take on more weight. I’d say that Navi are definitely taking the scene by storm, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people soon consider Navi one of the best bands in Richmond.
Photo by Patrick Moran
White Laces were the last of the locals to perform on the bill. I love White Laces to death; if you have read any of the articles I’ve written about them, you know this. I think their new album, Moves, has great potential to make my top ten local releases of the year. It’s so good. I can’t wait to get my own personal copy. The group played a phenomenal set at this show, but it may have been in an unfortunate setting. It stood out from the bands that had performed prior, and I think it may have caught people off guard. Also, it was difficult to follow up Navi after the brutal set they delivered. It’s a bummer, because White Laces were great. Everything off the new record sounds finely tuned and full of finesse. They even closed with “Dissolve Into Color,” which was a nice surprise, especially considering that the band has retired a lot of their older songs in order to focus on Moves. All in all, White Laces performed valiantly and I will always be front and center whenever they play Richmond.
Photo by Lia Lepre
Dope Body was really something else. I can see what everyone was talking about in regards to their previous performance. It was intense; they were just a constant onslaught of energy. Singer Andrew Laumann is a madman, and it shows in every song. The music on its own is just filled to the brim with hardcore energy. In many ways, it reminds me of Murder City Devils and bands of that ilk. I also wonder if, considering the age of the band, there is a bit of a nu-metal influence in there. Not so much in regards to how Laumann screams on the tunes, but more from a stylistic standpoint. If there were one downside to their performance, it was simply that there weren’t more people there. I could have seen a larger audience going completely insane. The tempo, building intensity, and screeching breakdowns can easily inspire that type of madness. All in all, Dope Body did a solid job and really left me impressed. They mentioned coming back to Richmond by the year’s end. I can only hope that Richmond will take notice and really bring all they’ve got the next time Dope Body pays a visit.
The show as a whole felt really spectacular. Despite White Laces sticking out from the other bands and MUTWAWA feeling like they didn’t perform to their best capabilities, it felt like a diverse showing of bands that represent different approaches to the world of music. It just goes to show that you can't peg this city as only having one sound to offer.