I was surprised, to say the least. Rolling up Polaris to the newish all-ages venue ‘The Space,’ I expected a warehouse. What I was greeted by was a kind young man offering to valet my car so I wouldn’t have to walk so far, and a mf marquee letting me know I was at the right place. To ensure easy access to the few trunk beers I brought, I self-parked and passed several other tailgaters on my way in.
I messed up y’all, I missed the opening band; Napalm Star. I was told they did really well. A group of young guys playing 90s era shoegaze influenced indie rock with an endearing lead singer. Is that a good description? I don’t know. Go to their Spotify or better yet, catch their next gig.
What I got served as I entered ‘The Space’ was a well-groomed lobby with a proper box office, a full bar and a huge Asteroid M banner inviting everyone to speak to the Asteroid M crew that made this show possible.
The Cheeks were already on when I arrived. Energetic Pop punk with horns and an appropriately ‘here to party’ energy. There was a full-on pit, the remnants of a recently missed confetti release and finally some quality goddamn sound mixing. This was the kind of show I’d been fiending for over the past 84 years of covid isolation. The crowd was fully charged till the end, there was even a parachute that showed up in the pit before it was over.
The venues ins-and-outs were a great reprieve, particularly if you’re not a fan of smokey venues, hotel casinos or just wanted a break from your mask. People were able to step out to smoke or revisit their cars. Not to be too much of an Old Head, but respect the venue. Cans, broken bottles and piss littering the nearby businesses is a sure-fire way to get the venue to shut down. But don’t take my word for it. Ask the Artistic Armory, the Garth or any other now-shuttered house show spot.
Next up was Desert Island boys. They’ve blown up in the past few years. They’re an Asteroid M staple and kept themselves busy releasing a split with No Tides and a full length during Covid lockdowns. The DI Boys have been playing house shows and warehouses for years, building a pretty loyal DIY following, and that consistency of effort really shone through in this venue, both in their performance and their fans going completely ape shit.
Eclipse played next, a younger group of guys playing predominantly instrumental music. I’m not familiar with the genre of dream-pop. It reminded me of post-emo bands like Pele, but maybe with a little more of a traditional rock n’ roll drive? A vein of this instrumental jazz-influenced technical musicianship has stayed alive in the DIY scene over the years, and the crowd was pretty receptive. I should warn you here that I don’t know much about actual music jargon, so I hope I didn’t mischaracterize anything.
Then, The Social Set took the stage. I’ve followed them for a few years and have thoroughly enjoyed their music. This most recent incarnation feels really solid, like they’re really comfortable in their skin. Which is a weird contradiction, given that they’re comfortable being socially awkward sad punks. But, I suppose they’re championing that for all the other quite sad punks. Which, truth be told, I wasn’t as aware of as a younger extrovert. Tangent, sorry. Their set was fun af. They banged through 3 albums worth of hooks, we all sang along, and we all felt the set was too short. Always leave them wanting more, right? Some highlights of the set for me: “Poor Punks on Hope,” “I Eat Cigarettes,” and the two false starts smoothly played off by their bassists. The latest release out on Asteroid M shows continued growth in the quality of recording and musicianship, but I appreciate that it holds on to the raw sincerity in their writing and performance that first captured my attention. Go-lis-ten. Then check out the rest of Asteroid M’s roster.
Special shout out to Manny Hinojosa (Insta: @Vacvcm) and Francisco (Insta: FRSCCAP) who were kind enough to share their pics with us for this review. You can visit their instagrams and maybe they’ll make enough “exposure” to pay for a water bottle at the next show they shoot.
-DP
Photos:
Manny Hinojosa and
https://www.instagram.com/vacvcm/
Francisco
https://www.instagram.com/FRSCCAP/
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