Show Pics: Corners @ Hi-Dive (2/18)
When I have to travel for the day job (international super-conglomerate type thing), I try to find shows going on to get out in the foreign scene and see some bands in a way I might not have a chance to otherwise; like seeing Temples and Warpaint in 300 person venues and catching Merchandise in Richmond after missing their show in Austin. Last time I was in Denver, it was a dead week, but not so this time around and since I had seen Hi-Dive show up on the tour stops for several of my favorite bands so Corners at Hi-Dive on a Wednesday night it was.
Usually, I am guarded about my enthusiasm for Wednesday night local openers, but Best Creeps and Hair Cult were both outstanding. Click for a few words and plenty of pics…
Best Creeps was up first. The three-piece was accompanied by a videography team, a bad omen. I was quickly wooed by garage-based surf rock stuff. The bass player (I think his name is Dylan) spends a lot of time in higher octaves playing up with the guitar bits with great effect. Plenty of energy, they had many friends in attendance all more than willing to share their opinions about the band’s awesomeness. Messy still, they can play, they can hold a room. Better still, they can draw a room in.
Hair Cult tried to gimmick me into not liking them. They have a projector, a dude running visuals and a bass-player in a lips covered leotard. Again, people warned me they were awesome. I have to agree. I was quickly able to forgive and get over my anti-projector stance (save it for Psych Fest) because they easily live up to their self-professed genre of rainbow punk; part hippy, part psych, plenty happy, but things on their mind. Grooves would run through the songs and the trio on stage really enjoyed doing what they are doing together. It is infectious.
Corners is downright slick when compared to the opening acts. It was a welcome contrast though as it was like a jump forward in time. The polish cast on bands coming out of LA suits their sound, synth flourishes and effects for punctuation used as often as ringing guitar blasts that seem to hot in the mix at first, but become key to the composition breaking what could have been monotone. Since deciding to attend this show a few weeks prior, I listened to their latest record a few times. They played most of it. I was happy. It is post-punk done at a high level, harmonies on vocals, changing tempos and dark structures, but with surfy flourishes. “Against It” with its break and progressions was a shut up a listen moment for this guy with the camera, title track “Maxed Out on Distractions” was spell-binding. Find them, see them.
I embedded a few tracks from openers and besties from Corners after the pics.
