By Andrew Bansal
November 2nd 2013, Vacation Vinyl, Los Angeles CA: Narrows and Early Graves began their three-show mini-tour at the Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco on Friday November 1st, and were scheduled to play at the Chain Reaction in Anaheim last night before closing it out at Casbah in San Diego today. But the Chain Reaction show was canceled on them at extremely short notice, and they decided to do a free in-store gig at Vacation Vinyl in Los Angeles instead. Lies, the opening act that was on the lineup for the Chain Reaction show, was also added onto this in-store last minute. As strange as it sounds, despite Vacation Vinyl hosting several in-stores in the past few years, this was the very first time I was here to actually see a show, and I was as shocked at the realization as everybody I told this to. But better late than never, so I arrived at the store at around 6:30 and waited for the show to begin.
It was interesting for me to see how they went on about setting up their gear inside this smallish room. They shared the amps and drumkit, which made sense as it reduced the changeover time between bands drastically as compared to a normal gig. The turnout here was great and the place was nearly packed by the time the show began at 7 o’ clock. I’m sure the Anaheim show cancelation was a terrible thing for Narrows and Early Graves to deal with, specially with it being part of a mere three-show tour, but for fans of these bands in the Los Angeles area who wouldn’t have been able to reach Anaheim for the originally scheduled show, this was a very welcome last-minute event and the turnout was proof of that.
Lies began proceedings with a high-octane set that lasted only 12 minutes and showcased them as a solid hardcore punk/power violence band. Their music sounded excellent but the vocals were nearly inaudible, which was a pity. They brought plenty of energy with their performance and seemed to handle this setting rather well. I’d certainly check them out next time they play a show in the area.
Shortly after, Early Graves were about to hit the stage, and it was time to get stoked. They have been one of my favorite live bands ever since I first saw them at the Power Of The Riff in 2011, so I was anticipating another devastatingly awesome set from these dudes and they definitely did not disappoint. Thankfully the vocal issues faced by Lies were fixed before Early Graves started, and frontman John Strachan’s screams were heard loud and clear. His band mates nailed it with their respective instruments as well, combining to create a formidable sonic force that furiously resonated through this room. Their powerful 22-minute set was well chosen and consisted of all the different elements that make up their repertoire as musicians. In all honesty, it another fantastic set by Early Graves, albeit super-short, and I was left wondering only one thing: when will I ever get to see an Early Graves headline show?
Visit Early Graves on the web at:
EarlyGraves.com
facebook.com/EarlyGraves
twitter.com/EarlyGraves
instagram.com/EarlyGraves
And soon after, Narrows played a set of similar duration but with an almost completely different musical approach. Their vocalist didn’t let the small size of the performance area confine him at all as he charged through the crowd and made room for himself on more than a couple of occasions during the set. Even though I’d never seen the band before this, I think it’s fair to say that Narrows delivered the exact same show that they would at a regular concert venue. Musically it had the punk element but also had a lot of variations within it. One of the guitarists Ryan Frederiksen used his pedal board extensively to employ a multitude of effects in the sound. It was funny to see him switching effects on the pedalboard while swerving around all over the place and trying not to lose his balance, but in the end I think he handled the situation successfully. Based on this set, I discovered that there’s more to Narrows than perhaps what meets the eye and they were impressive in every aspect.
Visit Narrows on the web at:
facebook.com/Narrows
twitter.com/NarrowsBand
Overall, on behalf of all attendees I would like to extend my gratitude to Vacation Vinyl for putting on this last-minute show. For my first ever live show experience at the store, this was absolutely great. I hope to attend many more shows here in the near future, and I would suggest you to do the same.
Visit Vacation Vinyl on the web at:
VacationVinyl.blogspot.com
facebook.com/VacationVinyl
twitter.com/VacationVinyl
instagram.com/VacationVinyl