Concert Review: Young Rival, November 15, Slim’s

unnamed

There’s pretty much nothing better than a trip to San Francisco filled with painted ladies, animal style fries, ninety degree angled hills with beautiful views and sushi. It doesn’t get much better than that – or so I thought until I stepped into the Bay Area’s own Slim’s and found myself facing the three young gentlemen who compose Young Rival – a drummer, a guitarist and a bassist – all decked out in eye-dazzlingly sparkling muumuus.

The most impressive thing was that they weren’t even matching – these were clearly three different glittery muumuus bought on three separate, independent trips. The bassist was rocking a full on poncho-esque, gold, disco-ball style piece, the guitarist had a silver and gold long jacket type and the drummer was flaunting a more subdued, tasteful, black and red shimmering style one (more of a cocktail style glittering muumuu, you know?). I can only hope that they didn’t even coordinate it – in my mind when you spend massive amounts of time with your band buddies in the van that’s the kind of thing you can just sync up on – “Oh you wore your disco-ball style muumuu/poncho tonight as well? That figures. It felt like that kind of night.”

The Canadian indie rockers from Hamilton, Ontario were opening for Born Ruffians, touring on their 2015 album Interior Light. They focused mostly on the new songs for their set. Crooning into flower-clad mics (which with the impressive beards that were onstage gave off a kind of hippy-flower power vibe), the group went through “Where’s It All Going” as well as title song “Interior Light.” Lead singer Aron D’Alesio’s nasal croon (the second I hear it all I could think of was Brooks Nielsen of the Growlers) was couched perfectly in a bed of skuzzy, dizzying, catchy guitar riffs. Overall, just an utter delight for the ears and the eyes both.

Posted on by Celeste in Concerts