There was enough synth, reverb and effects-induced haze in The End Friday night to cloud the glasses of any camera-toting hipster in the venue. I was only able to catch the first half of a lineup that included Nashville’s Calvin, Vinyl Thief and The Pursuits, as well as Birmingham’s To Light a Fire, but I was there long enough to witness two of the local acts pay homage to the spacey, key-stroking alt-rockers who’ve paved the way before them.
Calvin’s sound possessed all the brio of indie pop, even as it wandered into dark, synthy corners to brood. Guitar pick in mouth, bearded frontman Cory Johnson pelted out bell-like synth melodies when he wasn’t on the guitar, with the occasional ghostly Radiohead-like wail from keyboardist Kurt Whitehill and prolonged, instrumental fog to finish a song. Though each instrument’s part was highly individualized and meticulous, the band still had an impressive unity as they put the audience in a melodic trance which was promptly shattered by the gyrations and gusto of Vinyl Thief’s ginger-haired frontman Grayson Proctor.
Dressed like a hipster Sherlock Holmes, Proctor moved tirelessly around the stage, his grandiose, stadium vocal style, reminiscent of Bono, projecting across the room to the delight of a particular group of dancing showgoers. Just for the sake of trying something new, the vocalist announced that their seven-song set would be played as one continuous song, which included a cover of Gorillaz’s “Kids with Guns” amidst the pound of a kick drum. It’s rare to see a small band make such use of the stage with confidence, but Vinyl Thief held little back, working their way around a clutter of keys and drums as they textured rock, pop, dance and just plain noise with sometimes not so much finesse, but enough exuberance and stage presence to compensate. – Jessica Pace