SORORITY NOISE W / REMO DRIVE / JELANI SEI / ANIMAL FLAG
The Space Ballroom in Hamden is one of the finest venues in Ct. to experience live entertainment. On this particular evening the show was stacked. Every act on the card was a bonafide headliner.
The night started with Animal Flag, a Boston quartet headed by Matthew Politoski. With Sai Boddupalli on guitar, bassist Alex Pickert and drummer Alex Pickert the four piece rocked songs from their recent release Void Ripper (Flower Girl Records). “Stray”, “Five” and “Why” were standouts. The songs were stellar and the band built a strong bond with the audience through their music and social commentary.
Next up was Jelani Sei, a group with with Hartford and New York roots. They create a blend of music they call progressive R&B. Their sound is a hybrid of R&B, Jazz, Rock and Funk. Jelani Sei’s set was illuminating as their unique blend of sonic gumbo worked quite well. Vocalist Kayana Guity had an extensive vocal range and sang from the heart. Bassist and vocalist Evan Lawrence and drummer Jaylen Petinaud kept the backbeat on the forefront. The rest of the band consists of Scott White (guitar) and Sam Smith (guitar). Jelani Sei’s smooth and laid back groove was self evident in their songs, “Telephone” and “Samson” from their just released E.P. Lvndr Twn. This is a band to definitely watch for. Jelani Sei’s music travels beyond fusion into a creative genre of its own.
Remo Drive, an energegetic indie/emo ensemble followed Jelani Sei. This Minnesota band had a fair amount of the crowd in their corner. Their set was tight and precise. Lead by brothers Erik and Stephen Paulson and featuring touring members Zack Cummings and Braeden Keenan the group ripped into their debut album Greatest Hits with the intensity of a Howitzer cannon. Songs “Art School” and “Yer Killin Me” had the crowd frenzied. Another band on the upswing.
The true reason the Space was sold out was largely because of Sorority Noise, the actual headliner of the night. This Hartford, Ct band has erased the limitations usually associated with emo by morphing their signature sound with hard hitting bursts of pure energy. Live Sorority Noise transforms their music from slow dirge to frantic noise in milliseconds and the crowd ate it up. From opening song, “Blissth” to favorites “Using” and “Art School Wannabe” the audience sang along to every word. Cameron Boucher, lead vocalist and guitarist , had everyone mesmerized. Adam Ackerman’s guitar was both controlled and manic. Ryan McKenna (bass) and Charlie Singer (drums) were perfect. Most of the songs came off their recent release You’re Not As _ As You Thing (Triple Crown Records-2017). “Leave The Fan On” , Where Are You?” and “Car” had their fans jumping and crowd surfing. On “Rory Shield” past members Jason Rule and Kevin O’Donnell joined in on the fun. Ending the night with “No Halo” and encoring with “Mononokay” gave the patrons at the Space Ballroom an early Christmas gift.
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