Secret Friends Fest / Silent Lions Compartments Release Show
January 11, 2014: The Loving Touch, Ferndale, MI
Our new friend, Dean from Silent Lions, invited us to attend the second night of the Secret Friends Fest at The Loving Touch to celebrate the release of their new album, Compartments. Added bonus that there would be several other bands for us to check out. The night was filled with a bit of something for everyone.
TART was up first on the small stage and they were a great start for the night. Their unique alt 90’s infused with new wave sound was born right here in Detroit.
Up next on the big stage was another Detroit bred band, Odd Hours. Their sound is a perfect blend of experimental post-punk rock that had the crowd moving along with the beat.
Indie pop trio, The Kickstand Band, was next on the small stage. A bit of The Moldy Peaches mixed with some soul and surf made them one of my favorite bands of the evening.
I didn’t really know what to expect when The Ill Itches took the main stage. One guaitarist looked like he stepped right out of an 80’s hair metal band while the singer looked more grunge era 90’s. Their sound was more garage punk than anything else, but there were some reggae hooks thrown in for good measure.
Grand Rapids based band, Alexis, followed them up on the small stage with an electronic synthpop sound right out of the 80’s. The packed area was moving along with the duo for their entire set, clearly a crowd favorite of the night.
Fawn was the only other band that I had heard of before the show. I enjoyed their indie pop sound as much as I did the first time and seeing them again was a great reminder that I needed to pick up more their music ASAP.
My overall favorite find of the evening was YUM. I was taking a moment to sit down and give my legs a rest when I heard a Karen O-esque howl come from the small stage. I immediately got to my feet and made my way over to the already packed area and instantly fell in love with the garage rock duo. Lead singer, Elise Poirier’s ability to get swept up in the moment and let herself go completely had the crowd begging for more. I’ll definitely be seeing these guys again and again and again.
Ohio based band, Bad Veins, took the large stage next. Their keyboard and guitars driven sound is reminiscent of The Strokes and the Kaiser Chiefs with a bit more of a pop sound. Easily the most accessible band of the evening.
Our friends, Silent Lions, were finally ready to take the small stage for their set. We saw these guys for the first time in Ann Arbor when they opened for Stepdad and they were an instant hit for us. Matt and Dean are a well-oiled machine perfectly in tune with one another to provide a intricately layered sound. Matt is an animal on the drums while Dean owned every inch of the small stage as he melted faces with his killer bass lines. It was great seeing the audience drawn into every beat played by these guys. I’m excited for everyone to hear their new album and to see where they go in 2014.
A wonderful night spent discovering some amazing local bands and getting to see our friends put on another mind blowing show. Make sure to check all the bands out and throw them some well deserved support by checking out the links below.
Support Local / Indie Music:
TART: $1 for the single, “Cause a Scene”
Odd Hours: Pay what you want for the single, “Khaleesi” (the single and 6 remixes); free download of 3 track EP Off pills, on Ice; $4 for 4 track EP, Solar Plexus Power of Babooshka
The Kickstand Band: Name your price for 5 track EP, Summer Means Fun; or pick up their full length album, Puppy Love, for $7
The Ill Itches: Give their self-titled EP a listen and follow them to get updates on their releases
Alexis: Free downloads of their 4 singles: “Goldstar”, “Secret Side of Me”, “Need Your Love”, and “Under Surveillance”
Fawn: Full length debut album, Coastlines, is $9; Coastlines Remixed is $4; the single for “PIxels” (including “Hip Parade”) is $3.75; and you can get the single “Fur in Winter” for free
YUM: Grab their self-titled album for $5
Bad Veins: You can pick up their newest album The Mess We’ve Made on iTunes and Amazon
Silent Lions: Pay what you want to get The Parliaments EP as well as the “ripe•people” single
