White Laces, Eternal Summers, Peace Beast, Navi
Friday, February 24 at Tantrum
As the night came to a close, one thing was apparent. What everyone at Tantrum had witnessed was unbelievable and ridiculous. A solid lineup of bands that represented different approaches to their rock sounds. A unique space that provided a telling personality that shaped the way the show would live on in everyone’s memories. Yet another show that might go down as the best of the year--and it’s only the end of February.
One positive recent trend, which continued at this show, is the inclusion of Dave Watkins’ accompanying projections for each band’s set. His setup allows him to react to the music in such a way that its presentation is inspiring and develops layers through the entire performance. To have this element at play while each act performs must be something else, and the way in which each group reacts is indicative of this. With Watkins's developing reputation, one can only imagine that invitations to participate in future live events will continue to be sent his way.
When I arrived, instrumental duo Navi had already started their set. Out of everyone performing, this group was the one I was least familiar with. It’s safe to say that they won everyone over with their frantic set, which left people spellbound. It’s always incredible to see the feats two individuals can pull off when they let the music dictate their identities in a band. As the guitars and drums played off one another, it was certain that the two shared a kindred spirit in their instrumental approaches, and they connected to achieve evocative results. I think we will be hearing a lot from Navi in the coming months.
The music of the nineties has been a point of inspiration for many current bands. Peace Beast fits into this category, but their approach doesn’t feel like a direct extraction. Drawing from an era of female-fronted indie rock outfits of the nineties, as well as from the mid-60s psychedelic pop era, Peace Beast have developed a strong sound that caters very well to these sensibilities. The core of the group is Kelly Queener’s songwriting, which acts as the canvas for Joe Lunsford, Brandi Price, and Kyle Harris to flesh out. In its gentle approach, this group provides a bit of a departure for the two members, Price and Harris, that it shares with The Diamond Center, but it goes to show the multi-faceted talents that they can bring to any project. The group was the dreamiest act of the evening, and their set nicely complimented the frenzy that would soon follow.
I feel like there are easy parallels between how the Richmond and Roanoke music scenes relate and interact with one another. There are the relationships that exist between bands like The Young Sinclairs, The Diamond Center, White Laces, Hot Lava and The Sad Cobras among others. It’s in this relationship that makes Eternal Summers seem right at home during their Richmond visits. It didn’t hurt that seeing them play an energetic, astonishing set of material new and old in a spot like Tantrum felt like a special experience. Considering how the group has evolved since their inception as a duo, there is nothing that can stop Eternal Summers from being considered one of the best bands to emerge from the state of Virginia in recent memory. “I Know Now” and “Safe at Home” from their 2010 LP, Silver, sound phenomenal in the group’s current incarnation as a three-piece. Every unfamiliar song, which I can only imagine will appear on their upcoming second full-length, sounded phenomenal as well, and only helped to pique everyone’s excitement regarding their future output. Eternal Summers left everyone buzzing about after their set, and a few new favorite songs stuck in everyone’s head.
White Laces have just been on a roll as of late. Tonight was no exception, especially considering that this was the second of two sets they played in one night. The crowd settled in nicely as the band dove straight into “Dissolve Into Color” and continued right through with a number of new songs, including “Heavy Nights” and “Twinning.” One of the wilder moments of their set included the participation of Kyle Harris and Antlers's Wolfgang Daniel on guitar to close out their main set, before one final jolt with the last minute inclusion of “Bastard’s Dead.” With each new set, White Laces shows a greater understanding and perspective of what type of band they want to be in regards to the direction of their new material. It’s exciting to be witness to this type of progressive activity displayed by one of Richmond’s finest groups.
Over the course of the evening, everything went off without problems. There was no reported noise disturbance. There were no injuries or harsh words tossed around. There was just a wave of smiles as the smoke cleared and everyone looked forward to greeting the cold February night with stories of what they had just experienced. This show helped to carry on the strong standard of fantastic Richmond moments in 2012.
Words by Shannon Cleary
Videos by Brad Kutner and Brad Fulton
White Laces photo by Sarah Orr