By Reggie Woo
After seeing Wampire this past Thursday at a rainy and drippy Church, I feel like I’m in a bit of a dilemma with this review. Mixed feelings, along with a smorgasbord of issues, has left me with both too much to say and not enough to feel about what went down. This might lead to a bit of a huge mess of words to follow. But, oh well, here we go.
Let me start off by saying not all these issues I had with the show stemmed from the performances that were made that night. With the combination of crappy weather, a relatively remote location, and a few other more high-profile shows happening that night at other venues, the turnout really wasn’t all that great at Church. As most regular show-goers can understand, this definitely had an impact on the energy of both the crowd and the acts playing that night. But, all the blame can’t be laid there and there were so many other issues that came up.
L.A. Jeff, who are featured in our October Localz Only Mix Tape, started the night off with a fun, light mix of rockabilly and psychedelic rock. Showing a cacophony of raw and unpolished potential, single “Out of Time” stood out of their short set and the overall sound echoed iconic bands ranging from The Sonics to Blue Oyster Cult. When L.A. Jeff styled everything was alright, but the slower, more deliberate portions felt like it plodded along a bit.
Coke Weed, coming down from Bar Harbor, ME, probably had the sound that fully encompassed the mood of the night. Blending the sultry sensibilities from the past of glam and folk, the group wooed the crowd with their main weapon of vocalist Nina Donghia. Her having to sing over the rest of the band a couple of times was a bit jarring at times, but overall, Coke Weed were undoubtably able to capture the vibe of the slow rainy night.
TOPS followed up well with a smart medley of indie pop and dream pop. The Canadians were steady and deliberate, creating a sharp but measured studio atmosphere that harkened to Tennis’ first album in my mind. Vocalist Jane Penny had the siren-esque style to complete this ensemble and pull the crowd in even further.
Where the openers seemed to relax and take in the loose tone of the night, headliners Wampire struggled a bit. Starting with “Trains” made for a good transition, matching the mood from the previous acts. Following with “The Hearse” definitely turned the energy up a bit and seemed to wake up the crowd from their late-night trance. But, Wampire quickly dropped off after that and never really captured the same spark for the rest of the set. Perhaps hoping for a better turnout than what had showed up, the spirit of the room ultimately left both the band and the audience wanting. You could immediately tell the band wanted to finish up quickly, accidentally announcing a song to be their last when they actually had three more to play.
That isn’t to say that Wampire didn’t show up at all. Drummer Thomas Hoganson showed off at times and played really tight all night. But, the mixing was far too bass-heavy and as a result, songs like “Wizard Staff” felt far too muddy and didn’t have the right impact. Overall, Wampire was a bit of a disappointment, but I have to acknowledge and point out that not all of it was their fault. On a different night, cylinders might have been hit and their performance might have resonated more with me. But, in a quiet rainy night, Wampire lost its way a bit.