Between early Aerosmith and AC/DC lies The Last Vegas. The Chicago garage rockers didn't seem to want to do anything new but deliver bashing rock. Lead singer Chad Cherry may not be a rock star yet, but no one's told him; he strutted about the stage, channeling Axl Rose as he thrust his face and hips into the crowd. His presence helped bring more out of the pounding power chord tunes, which were full of energy but lacked hooks, although the last two numbers showed promise. This reviewer was somewhat concerned when Cherry shoved his mic down his pants — couldn't pubes in the mouth mess with singing? — but it was certainly an original move.
Speaking of original, Valient Thorr apparently has come to Earth from the center of the planet Venus to dispel the evils of bankruptcy, nature-uptcy and govern-uptcy. The foursome stormed around the stage like just-branded bears, and this was no small spectacle. The members are big dudes, with beards of the sort normally found on ancient Greek statues or yetis. The show seemed to take precedence over music; singer Valient Thorr 's lyrics — covering conspiracies, revolution and raising the dead — were lost in the raw blaze of drums and guitar, although occasionally a melody crept through. Imagine setting a locomotive ablaze, driving it through houses, and then careening off a cliff. If that is your thing, then Valient Thorr is what you'd want blasting on the tape deck as you do it.
Most people would simply be happy moshing, though, and the closer Bullets and Octane fit that bill just fine. At one point, a crowd member – "Jeremy" – was put in charge of keeping the pit going while singer Louis prowled the stage, mussing patrons' hair and sometimes shoving them closer to the pit. Despite Louis' failed call for a shirts-off party, he had the audience captivated. His charisma made the show, and he was determined to make sure everyone was rocking, even if it meant a venture into the crowd. Louis' voice sounded worn, which made the songs grating at times. But when the band fell into its grooves such as on the fist-thrusting anthem "Save Me Sorrow" and the punk-march "Pirates," it didn't matter 'cause the whole place was singing along and Louis accepted nothing less.
Perhaps it's because Damone brings a woman lead singer, but its sound was the most polished of the four bands — and maybe the least hard rock. Fear not; this was good because the Boston foursome has weaved some undeniable hooks into its songs that have you bobbing your head even if you didn't mean to. Lead singer Noelle's voice often was lost, seemingly because of mic issues. But when it came through, it carried a candy-covered acidness — it must not be pleasant to scorn a rocker chick. Watching the tiny woman shred on her guitar and whip her head around as bassist Vazquez and guitarist Mike played together engaging the crowd made for a good time.
Damone may get slapped with the pop-punk label, usually the death knell for indie cred, which would be unfortunate. The music keeps its edge by staying aggressive in the verses, then looping you in during the choruses. The single "Out Here All Night," off the band's new five-song EP of the same name, alternates from thrash-metal to catchy sing-along seamlessly, and it'll be interesting to see if the band can maintain that balance.
* BARRY BRECHEISEN (Damone/The Last Vegas); ALISON KRICK (Valient Thorr/ Bullets and Octane)
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