FIDLAR and the Orwells Tear up The Unitarian

by Angel Park

With only a single row of speakers separating them from their sweaty mass of fans, FIDLAR and The Orwells played The Unitarian Friday night like no other. Staying true the their garage rock/punk roots, the set consisted of constant stage diving and moments intense enough to bring the musicians down to their knees.

The energized two hour set first featured The Orwells, an Illinois based band with only a few EP’s behind them, but with a large stage presence to make up for it. Singer Mario Cuomo and his bandmates started things off with “Who Needs You,” the group’s most recent, and politically charged single. Cuomo utilized his stage room to his advantage, often using it to encourage the fans to move faster than they already were and even finding enough space to sing flat on the floor. What stuck out most about the entire thing, however, was the band’s choice to close with a cover of “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by The Stooges. The crowd cheered along with the whole song, right up until the last, piercing note hit the air.

Soon after, FIDLAR, short for “fuck it dog, life’s a risk,” hopped on stage. Front-man Zac Carper greeted the wild crowd with a smile and the opening chords to “Paycheck,” a track off the group’s first and only self-titled album. This is also when the crowd surfing began to hit it’s peak, with as much as four people diving into the audience during every song that followed. The band embraced this, even going so far as to help push fans out. Fast paced hits like “Cocaine” and “The Punks Are Finally Taking Acid” kept the group’s rowdy energy going throughout the night.

By the close of it all, people were left with ringing ears, sweaty faces, and some lost clothing, but they could stumble home knowing that they had witnessed a damn good show.