What a great show this was, and tickets were only 99 cents! It was some sort of all ages promotional event for the local “alternative” station (99.9 FM) and the 700-capacity club was packed! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I walked in. Frontwoman Ritzy Bryan was just as surprised, telling us she half expected to be playing for “a kissing couple and a seagull.” She was very chatty throughout the set and charmed the audience with her old world demeanor and pixieish good looks. But they’re not just a good looking band- they played even better than they looked!
Now I know why they named their album The Big Roar- because that’s what they sounded like, a three-person post-punk whirling dervish of a band. Ritzy’s guitar was heavy and layered, sounding rather sludgy and shoe-gazey with tons of reverb, and not as much of that chainsaw treble that you hear on their records. She sampled and looped some guitar sounds, as well as background vocals, which worked most of the time but was occasionally distracting. I liked the guitar effects but the background vocals would have sounded more natural if her bandmates chimed in.
But this is a minor quibble for what was a dynamic and totally rockin’ performance. Drummer Matt Thomas is an absolute powerhouse, his hands and body blurry as they raced around his kit. Ritzy and bass player Rhydian Dafydd didn’t stop moving either, constantly running back and forth across the stage, stopping to face the drummer, then each other, smiling and laughing all the while. This is definitely a band in motion, all that kinetic energy a by-product of their muscular, driving sound and soaring upward trajectory (they finished up an opening slot playing arenas with The Foo Fighters the night before in Boston). And right at the point where I thought they were firing on all cylinders and couldn’t rock any harder, Ritzy ushered in the grand finale by setting down her Stratocaster, picking up a huge mallet, and wailing on the giant metal gong that was set up in the middle of the stage!
It was an exhilarating and inspiring hour of music, and I hope they keep their stage promise to return to the Green Mountain state just as soon as their second album is finished. I think our fresh mountain air and rolling landscape reminded them of their homeland in Wales. They could treat Vermont like a home away from home, an oasis in the desert of a grueling tour schedule!
photos by Pete Foytho
