Playing at the breakneck pace of their NASCAR driver namesake, soaked the Tuesday night with a blend of drum-and-bass loops and dueling vocals.
“Thanks for coming out on a Tuesday night, Denver … itap going to f**k up your Wednesday, so we appreciate it,” was just one of many bits of praise the band extended to the crowd — leaving a favorable impression on the live trio. The band succeeded in transforming their excitable but intimate debut record, “Itap a Corporate World,” into a party-rock soundtrack that went past midnight.
Giant “Sesame Street”-looking block letters “J” and “R” lined with white bulbs pulsated behind the band, creating an arena rock air to the tiny Hi-Dive stage, the crowd eating up the ambiance with every passing note. The band showcased their impeccable showmanship with humor, several times pointing to — and inviting fans — to visit their “corporate lounge,” a ramshackle V.I.P. area next to the stage consisting of a couple massage chairs.
Without a backstage to reemerge from, the band reenacted the routine of an encore, turning the lights out and “costume-changing” into a couple of fluorescent checkerboard sport coats. As the soft glow around the stage became drenched in black light, the band’s faces disappeared under the beaming of their coats, leaving two headless figures to pound out several closing songs, including a cover of Whitney Houston’s ’87 classic, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).”
Surprise highlight: Long Spoon collective’s Eye & The Arrow played a short opening set, built on quiet but severely infectious melodies. A Paper Bird side project, the band is looking to rerecord their BandCamp-hosted EP after several months of touring and refining their sound. Opener “Mexico” is hard to get out of your head; you’ve been warned.
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Craig Randall is a Boulder-based writer and PR pro with an identity crisis. He credits both “Let Me Love You Down” and “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” as life-changing tracks. Check out .
Lisa Higginbotham is a Denver photographer and a new contributor to Reverb.
