Words and Photos: Public Opinion / Bugsy / Foil / Nightosphere at Farewell
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| Public Opinion. Photo by Aaron Rhodes. |
Farewell - Kansas City, MO
Friday night at Farewell was a gig in two parts. The result of an accidental double booking, two bands that I had booked (Public Opinion and Foil) kicked the evening off before the bands booked by staff at the venue (Bugsy and Nightosphere) closed things out. Attendance looked to be somewhere around 50 heads, which doesn't sound like a major success, but in comparison to the sweaty, chaotic five band bill the venue hosted the previous night, the small but engaged crowd and its breezy energy was refreshing.
Foil's opening set looked and sounded like most other Foil sets, but what made this seemingly ordinary gig special was that it was the fourth that the band had played in five days. Since the night included two indie rock bands, the pit wasn't particularly tough, but a few youngsters got moving. A small but passionate shout-along to the band's cop-hate anthem "1312" was fun to watch.
Denver's Public Opinion was the second to take the stage. Friday was one of the first dates of the band's spring tour and their second visit to Kansas City following a set less than two months ago opening for their friends in Militarie Gun. A few familiar faces from that show came back to greet them. Playing as a trio instead of a quartet this time (due to a schedule conflict with their guitarist), they had no issue pumping out the same bouncy, high-energy punk rock-n-roll they did in March. Judging by this set and the singles released thus far, their upcoming sophomore EP should make some year-end lists.
Bugsy, hailing from Minneapolis, performed a charming set of tunes that meandered thoughtfully, cleverly, and precisely between twee, mathy emo pop noodling and straightforward blasts of louder, rhythmic rock. During those latter moments, a dozen or two members of the audience hopped in place and playfully pushed their friends with smiles on their faces.
Kansas City's Nightosphere played with Bugsy the previous night in Omaha (along with Internet Dating, the project of this night's sound person Deano) and seemed to have hit it off, each band praising the other during their sets. Nightosphere only has a handful of gigs under its belt so far, but they show great promise. Blending moody bits of shoegaze, emo, and indie rock, often with sparse vocals, the trio's music had a hypnotic effect on the crowd.
[This show was booked and presented by Shuttlecock and Farewell.]
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