Photo Gallery: The Life And Times / Giants Chair / Ex Acrobat at recordBar

Allen Epley of The Life And Times

Wednesday night at recordBar was kind of like a family reunion. The Life And Times, a band that got its start in Kansas City in the mid-2000s, returned home during its week-long Midwest run in support of a new self-titled record. Guitarist and gravelly-voiced singer Allen Epley led the band in a powerful performance that showcased the band's smart melodies and avalanche-inducing space rock kickers.

Giants Chair, a mainstay of local mid-nineties emo, reunited earlier this year and has been prepping a new record for release in 2018. The band played that record in its entirety for the first time on Wednesday. On first impression, Giants Chair can still perform as well as their peers, but the new songs don't quite compare to the group's previous output. The only true highlight was one oldie tacked on at the end of the set.

The gig was opened by a new local group of familiar faces, Ex Acrobat. The band's tightly wound emo jams pulled influence from the earliest D.C. post-hardcore bands and mixed in other regional styles. The result was a propulsive, if not predictable sampler of 20th century emo and alternative rock.

Full photo gallery here.