The Coldplay-esque Greycoats (above) filled out a set of alternately lush and frenetic pop-rock at the Meadowlark on Friday. Photo from .
Last Friday nightap lineup at the was a musical mini-tour of genres, from shoegaze to sloppy pop-rock, complete with a long soujourn into the too-quiet side of bands like Coldplay. Not a bad journey for a meager $8, and if you were able to stay through to the end, show was the perfect wake up call.
The evening started with Denver’s , who offered an alternating palate of indie ranging from cerebral grooves à la Stereolab to a lush soundscape that delved into Ride-like shoegaze. Singer/keyboardist Chandrika draped lilting vocals that unfortunately lacked full tonal consistency over a three-guitar armada and a solid rhythm section, in front of what was to be the nightap largest audience. They responded enthusiastically to the set, attesting to Zaza Cutap growing local following.
, Denver’s answer to Superchunk, followed next. The fact that the band came on so early was a surprise, since all the ads I’d seen listed this band as headliners. No matter — they produced a headlining set anyway, albeit a shorter one than we would’ve liked. Full of frantic, screaming indie rock that recalled young skinny punks of Archers of Loaf or Sunny Day Real Estate, they successfully avoided sounding too derivative. The only trip-up was a serious bout with some feedback for half a minute that seemed to fry one of their mics for the remainder of the set — but it was a small blip in an otherwise lively and fun showcase.
After what seemed like an extraordinarily long setup time, Minneapolis’s finally started a set that sounded too much like Coldplay, and had difficulty holding the bar’s attention. As endearing as its snug, intimate atmosphere is, Meadowlark suffers more than other small venues in Denver when the crowd’s interest wanes. In a space where you’re so close to the performers that you might step on one of their toes, conversation often threatens to overpower music. And the fact that Greycoats’ style is exceedingly quiet and delicate didn’t help them. The addition of two TVs playing black and white footage of what looked like WWII eastern Europe added a visual accent to the set, but also tended to draw us away from, rather than into, the music.
Thankfully, Popwreck shattered the stillness with the most ambitious set I’ve seen from them in a while. Aaron Hobbs, Casey Dexter and Eliot Zizic put on an exhilaratingly sloppy offering that helped the crowd shake off the ice, and turned us all back into screaming, bouncing fools. Popwreck consistently plays a blend of atypically happy Sebadoh and Squirrel Bait with Westerberg-ian lyricism and Replacements’ “Hootenanny” abandon. It’s a near-perfect mess of screaming and heartfelt sweat.
Friday nightap showcase was stellar, the perfect soundtrack to revitalize the Meadowlark audience and send us all packing with a giddy smile.
Billy Thieme is a Denver-based writer, an old-school punk and a huge follower of Denver’s vibrant local music scene. Follow Billy’s giglist at
