I’m not sure how to explain this quartet minus one (who chose fighting off evil bacteria over performing) in full. To help accent their one unsatisfactory element, I think it would help if I began with a conversation my father and I held with Leighton Kearns, the bassist of Sunflower Dead, during Bad Hunter’s sound check. As the drummer smacked his snare, Kearns shook his head in a disdainful manner and muttered, “piccolo snare.” This soon led to a long explanation on how only two bands in the world can pull off piccolo snare. Despite his evident distaste, I chose to keep an open mind to the sound we’d soon hear. Of course, Kearns knew what he was talking about. No, I am not saying that Bad Hunter was bad, I’m saying that the register their music occupied leaned a little too much to the high side. Catchy tunes and adorable shout-outs to the lead singer’s toddler offspring entertained the audience despite the quiet bass line and slightly out-of-tune vocals. Please don’t take this the wrong, I like them, but you aren’t opening my website to read gushy and fluffed up reviews. As much as you want to say that mankind looks for the good things in the world, all you really want to hear are the slamming of bands and harsh reviews. Admit it. However, I can definitely say that the energy of Bad Hunter brought all middle-aged men inspiration to continue their rock-and-roll lifestyle and to promote it to their children from the youngest possible age. My favourite part of watching was seeing the lead singer’s adorable 2-year-old daughter sporting a florid pink bow running to the stage to give her father a hug. The father asked her to sing and we were all hoping for a repeat of America’s Got Talent’s screamo performance courtesy of 6-year-old Aaralyn. 

Thank you to Bad Hunter and Sunflower Dead for an awesome concert.

The first band of the night consisted of an extremely young-looking lead singer with a drummer and guitarist only a few years his senior. It turns out that the youthful front man had replaced the old one only a week prior, an impressive feat. The vocalist had an impressive energy that manifested in his thrashing, constant movement on stage, and aggressive singing. Despite the absence of a bassist, the sound wasn’t empty because of the talented drummer who compensated for the missing sound by never ceasing in his bass drumming. It was evident upon a glance that People, Don’t Panic was a local band struggling to stand on their feet, but their performance did not portray that at all. On the stage they weren’t some local band made up of assorted college dropouts, they were a band. They have the sound, they have the energy. They have what it takes to make it in the music world.

This band walked on the stage and immediately I was struck by the timidity of the lead singer who seemed afraid to face the audience for periods of time extending past five or six seconds.  Of course, this didn’t really matter since they, too, boasted experience in addition to a catchiness that is usually foreign to screamo-type bands. As much as my father and I were impressed with Borne the Image, we usually prefer bands to keep their religious beliefs to themselves and not to share them with the crowd. I mean, sure, it’s great that the band writes for Jesus, but it’s not important for you to tell us that when you could be performing an extra song. 

Not to be harsh or anything, but, as my dad put it, this band has nothing to offer the musical world. Let’s leave it at that.

There isn’t really much to say because any band following Sirens & Sailors will seem extremely inferior, no matter how good they actually are. The red-headed lead singer also contained a firey ball of energy within his core which propelled him to and fro across the small stage. All the band members seemed very “into” the music, although they exhibited it in various ways ranging from striking cliché poses to shaking beards in front of the microphone. The timbre of Shai Halud lived in a high register that was a little hard to take, but otherwise, the music was quite decent. 

Thanks to all bands who performed that night! My deepest apologies go out to Sworn In and This Or The Apocalypse whom I left before seeing due to my deep exhaustion.