Articles

Show Review - 08/10/2008: Newark, DE

Article posted on Sep 2, 2008 by Ian Lashbrook

By: Max Gambill

Julian Day/Josten Swingline/Collossus Vs. the Gladiator, Aug 10^th @ The East End Café

First off, for anyone who hasn't been to the East End, which I am going to assume is most of you, it's tiny. The building is tiny and the stage is really cramped. Great if you're a three piece, but anymore than that and everybody's fighting for space. It's not really as much of a detriment to a live show as you would think, I just feel like it looks really uncomfortable for the performers and thought it should be noted in case the owners happen to read this and are inclined to add on to the stage a bit.

By this point, I ought to know better than to show up to a show on time. The Julian Day/Josten Swingline/One Win Choice/Colossus vs. the Gladiator/Destiny or Design bill was set for 7:30, but didn't get underway until sometime after 8, which was sooner than I expected since I returned to the venue ¾ of the way through Destiny or Design's set. From what I was able to gather from the last two songs, these guys are like a heavier version of Thursday. The singer is definitely a Geoff Rickley clone (I mean that in a really positive way), right down to his movements and his voice. While they don't really seem to be doing anything new, what they are doing, they're doing well.

Colossus Vs. the Gladiator definitely started bringing more people into the venue. If you're familiar with these guys, you know they're determined. I've heard more about these guys on the local level the last few months than pretty much any other band in Delaware. Relentlessly promoting, playing any and every show possible, these guys are definitely going all in. Musically, they have that math-y, post-punk sound that seems to be really popular right now. Personally, it's not my thing, but I know a lot of people like it. Front-man Simms has enough energy though that even if it's not exactly your kind of sound, you'll enjoy watching Colossus.

Now, here lies the problem with going to shows in a town where you know everyone - people are going to ask you for favors. I walked down to help a friend out, attempting to be back before One Win Choice started playing, and ended up coming back just after they finished. From what I heard though, it was a pretty impressive set. I have to admit that I'm not really familiar with these guys, but I feel like I should be.

Then, Josten Swingline came on. Probably the biggest surprise on this bill, these guys play some very mid-nineties, mid-tempo pop-punk like the stuff Fat Wreck used to put out back in the day; definitely a nostalgia trip for me. Talking to Ian, I was pretty surprised by how young all these guys are and how unfamiliar with that scene they are. I think that makes Josten all the more impressive; these guys happened to stumble on this sound on their own, making it feel so much more genuine than all the copy-cat bands that are popping up every day.

One thing of note, Josten Swingline's set did get interrupted by the police issuing a noise violation to the East End after a complaint from the hotel next door. It always seems silly to me when a venue is issued one of these...almost as silly as building a hotel next to a venue and then complaining about it being too loud. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure most venues are loud. And I'm pretty sure hotels are where people sleep. And I'm definitely sure that most people can't sleep around loud noises. So, seeing as the East End was already there, maybe that wasn't the best place for a hotel.

Finally, Julian Day gets on the stage. Admittedly, I wasn't too into what I had heard prior to seeing these guys. But, I can now honestly say that the rough recordings they had on their MySpace page don't do them any justice. Sonically, they remind me of a lot of the Philly metal/hardcore bands of about two years ago. I'm not citing any examples because they feel like an amalgamation of a lot of them without sounding like one over the other. In addition, the stage presence reminds me a lot of One Dead Three Wounded and Folly; two bands that helped put fun and unity back in hardcore, or tried to at least. Sadly, neither of those bands are still with us, but Julian Day is helping to fill that void while trying to do something a little different at the same time.

All in all, an excellent show minus missing One Win Choice and the little police interruption. Now, if only the East End would add about a foot to the front of its stage.

www.myspace.com/jostenswingline

www.myspace.com/juliandayband

www.myspace.com/colossusvsthegladiator

www.myspace.com/destinyordesignmusic

www.myspace.com/onewinchoice