DIRTY HEADS / SLIGHTLY STOOPID LIVE AT THE AMP IN BRIDGEPORT
By Ralph Beauchamp
What a busy week. This was my second visit to the AMP in Bridgeport in three days. Accompanied by my extremely talented photographer Kerri Nelson, we attended the Dirty Heads and Slightly Stoopid “Slightly Dirty” co-headlining summer tour which included Common Kings and The Elovaters as direct support. The evening was a bit cooler than the Totally Tubular Festival two days before and the crowd by far much younger. This was going to be an excellent evening.
The night started with Boston’s own, The Elovaters. Being based in Ct. and having several NE reps, we were quite aware of the band. They had won the New England Music Awards in 2022 for “Best Artist of the Year” and “Best Live Act”. The Elovaters’ sound mashes reggae, rock and indie flawlessly. Their music is vibrant and full of life. The band is comprised of Jackson Wetherbee (Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Nicholas Asta (Drums), Matt Link (Bass), Greg Nectow (Keys) and John Alves (Lead Guitar).
The Elovaters’ set was upbeat and energetic. This ensemble knows how to work a crowd. Starting with “Castaway”, the band had the audience already swaying to the beat. The song carries righteous reggae vibes with sublime vocals. It’s off their 2023 full length entitled Endless Summer which is an amazing album. In fact, most of their 8 songs came from that release. “Roll Up” followed and the house was feeling the groove. “Gimmie Love”, “M.I.A” and “Red Wine” had the festivities flowing. “Margaritas” off their Castle album, filled the air with images of sandy beaches and laid back holidays. The Elovaters closed out with a wonderful rendition of “Sunlight”. This was a perfect start.
Next up were the Common Kings who are based out of Orange County but have major Polynesian roots. Their use of reggae, polynesian music, punk and rock give the band their super singular sound. The group is made up of Sasualei “Jr. King” Maliga (Lead Vocals), Taumata Grey (Guitar), Ivan “Uncle Lui” Kirimaua (Bass) and Jerome “Big Rome” Taito (Drums). Right from the start, Common Kings were on fire. Maliga is an excellent frontman with the ability to make the crowd rise. Grey on guitar is an immense talent with gnarly riffs and solos. Kirimaua’s bass delivered potent colors while Taito’s drums were driving. Common Kings last album was Celebration released in 2023.
Their extended set featured many of their impressive hits including “Da My Thing”, “Wade In Your Water”, “24/7”, “Alcoholic” and “Queen Majesty”. Also, the Commons Kings discharged a brazen version of Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved”. During the entire set, the band’s intensity wes memorable. They never let up, The house was in pure elation. Common Kings slayed.
Next on stage was Slightly Stoopid. The band’s music pulls from a variety of sources. Reggae, rock, punk and hip hop all stream into an innovated palette of lush textures to produce something unquietly original. Based out of Ocean Beach, Slightly Stoopid have grown from a trio to a seven piece monster. The band’s current lineup consists of Miles Doughty (Lead Vocals/Guitar/Bass), Kyle McDonald (Lead Vocals/Bass/Guitar), Ryan Moran (Drums), Oguer Ocon (Percussions) Daniel Delacruz (Sax), Andy Geib (Trombone) and Paul Wolstencroft (Keys).
Slightly Stoopid played an 18 song set filled with stout intrepid grooves. All night long Doughty and McDonald traded off lead vocals. Both their voices were strong and demanded attention. The sunset was coming fast and their music enhanced the entire experience. Crowd favorites included “Officer”, “Bandelero”, “2 AM’ and “Got Me On The Run”. Later in performance, Slightly Stoopid hit the audience with “No Cocaine” and “Collie Man” which everyone really enjoyed.
Throughout the evening, the musicianship was astounding. Every member of the group excelled. Every note fit like a glove. In addition, Delacruz’s sax solo was hot. They finished with “Closer to the Sun”. The venue erupted in a very loud cheer. Slightly Stoopid were spectacular.
Dirty Heads were the last band standing. I was utterly impressed with their staging. The cinematic set fit the band perfectly. Since 2001, Dirty Heads have delivered their own brand of reggae, rock and rap. Their song “Vacation” was a huge hit due a Tik Tok challenge that incorporated their song. Like Slightly Stoopid, Dirty Heads features two vocalist with Dustin Bushnell (Lead Vocals0 and Jared Watson (Rap/Lead Vocals) complementing each other perfectly. Both of them exuded colossal charisma and held the large crowd’s total attention. The rest of the band is made up of Jon Olazabal (Percussions), David Foral (Bass), Matt Ochoa (Drums), Shawn Gonzalez (Keys), Mark Bush (Trumpet) and Ruben Durazo (Trombone).
Dirty Heads also had a long set which consisted of 21 songs. Way to many for me to notate. Highlights consisted of “Oxygen”, “Bum Bum”, “Rescue Me” and “Lay me Down”. A pleasant surprise was their cover of Joe Walsh’s “Life Been Good”. Once again, the musicianship was excellent. These guys have their shit together. Every song drew a loud response from the crowd. Everyone was standing. Both the pit and people in the seats were feeling the glowing vibes. Dirty Heads had them in a musical coma of pure rapture.
Another highlight was when Jason from The Elovaters joined the group. In fact, every band had a member of another band play in their set. It shows the love amongst these artists. It’s all about respect. Dirty Heads ended the glorified evening with “Vacation”. No one left disappointed. This was a superb night of sonic delights and aural beauty. All four bands were a massive treat. It was well worth the exhaustion.
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I’m a fan of Dirty Heads.