Images: Success, Broadway Calls, War Called Home, Go Bold September 7, 2016 at Beauty Bar

“We love this fucking city” exclaimed Success frontman Rev Peters at his band’s headlining show at the Beauty Bar last week, their second headliner at the venue in just under 5 months.

The band, now sporting six members, was like a party on stage as they blissfully blasted through a set of favorites from last year’s excellent Radio Recovery. Highlights included “22nd St.” (which sounds like a lost Hello Rockview b-side), “Nowhere Kids,” “Flowers” and “Head for the Hills,” the latter of which morphed the bar into an episode of Supernatural thanks to the inclusion of Kansas’ “Carry On My Wayward Son” in the bridge. The band also included a fun cover of Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” that had at least one fan singing along to every word (it was me, I was singing) and a new song which included a Boys and Girls in America style keyboard intro from new keyboardist Andy Wylie.

The highlight of their set came when on “Lives That We Deserve,” the band came to a full stop to dedicate the song to Beauty Bar bathroom attendant Rene. This ode to those who work hard to make a better life for themselves and their families was particularly well dedicated to a man who was working his second full shift of the day.

Broadway Calls were also playing their second Beauty Bar show in just under 5 months and were, unfortunately, playing to a crowd far too small.

They made the best of the situation, though, choosing to tailor their set to those of us up front singing every word to “Suffer the Kids,” “Call it Off,” “Open Letter” (dedicated to the show’s promoter, TJ Suckerpunch) and “Back to Oregon” by peppering in requested songs like “Save our Ships.” The band played possibly the tightest I’ve ever seen them and bassist Adam Willis’ backing vocals sounded particularly on point, even when technical difficulties plagued his bass rig.

Locals War Called Home came out in matching school sweater vests but since the weather still remains close to triple digits hours after the sun goes down, they also sported matching khaki shorts (I know at least four grown ups who took advantage of those Mervin’s back-to-school deals). They played through skatepunk jams from their previously released EPs, shredding and jumping around the stage for “Hoodie” and “Empty as the Canal,” the latter of which was dedicated to PIV photog and recent world traveler/possible international assassin Aaron Mattern.

Go Bold saw frontman Brock Frabbiele opening in a way familiar to longtime fans – solo and acoustic. And when technical difficulties threatened to end his set before it even began, Brock took his guitar into the crowd, playing “Yotam” style, as No Red Alice’s Sal Giordano put it. Brock always seems so at ease playing favorites like “Seize the Carp” on the acoustic, but it was just as fun when the full band came out, with Illicitor’s Zabi Naqshband filling in on bass. I particularly liked the way Zabi’s gruff vocals mixed with Brock’s cleaner style on harmonies and would love to hear more of that mix in the future (this is where we start the “Give Zabi a verse” petition).

-Emily Matview

Photos by Aaron Mattern | https://www.flickr.com/photos/akmofoto/