by Tiffany Taylor
On Saturday Night, Radio 104.5 hosted the Griswolds at The Foundry for a sold out, high-energy evening. The Fillmore itself was absolutely packed given there was another sold out show in the main part of the venue. The entire place from bar to stage was filled with people young and old, dancing and singing with each act that played. I was generally surprised at the turnout and especially the positive energy that was booming in the room the entire night, even in between the sets.
A local Philly band, Blame Candy, kicked off the show. They were an unexpected treat to say the least with their eclectic style and in-your-face attitude. Lead singer, Chris Greatti, was a mirror image of David Bowie with a sparkle get-up and crazy makeup. Although I was not a huge fan of their indie-rock sound, they engaged the crowd, luring them in with a ton of interaction and a damn good performance. The highlight of the set was definitely how much Greatti moved with his guitar during the set. Blame Candy was a nice touch to set the tone for the rest of the evening.
The second act was Dreamers, a cosmic rock band from LA. Frontman Nick Wold definitely knows how to put on a show. They had a really dramatic intro for just an opening act and it just felt a little bit over the top. As far as musicians go, they really did not stand out to me; but the crowd was eating it up. The entire time I just did not know how to feel about them, but everyone else really seemed to enjoy the performance. Their best song definitely had to be “Come Down Slow” mainly because it was not so in-your-face like the others. Their song “Drugs” was cliche and promoted drug use which felt really weird when the crowd was super young. Overall, Dreamers has so much potential and I felt like they’re throwing it away to be famous pop stars, but hey- if the people like it, I guess they are doing something right.
Finally, it was time for Australian natives, the Griswolds, to take the stage. Again- there was a super dramatic opening that presented them to the crowd. At this point, I’ve just realized that this entire night was really over the top, so it was only fitting. What was so great about this show and the acts, is that the music allowed everyone to dance, including myself, and let go. Their performance was really well done.
They opened with “Role Models” and they had the whole crowd screaming: “We got nothing to lose.” They even had me singing along to some of their songs. Good because now their music will be stuck in my head, but bad because it is so predictable.
Most of their music was new content off of the album they released in November, High Times for Low Lives. The crowd definitely had to be dedicated fans because they knew every word to every song. After seeing them live, I appreciate their energy and performance, but overall they had the vibe of a band headed the way of a couple hits before fading into the background. I could be wrong, because after seeing these fans I’m not so sure.
Their fan base seemed to be a generally young crowd from 17 to 19 and I felt like I was sort of in a bad new Disney Channel movie. However, if I had to pick a favorite track they played it would be “Down and Out” and obviously “Beware the Dog”.
Overall I’m left feeling totally weird about what I had just witnessed. Obviously, as I mentioned before, these guys must be doing something right to sell out a show at The Foundry, but the night just was not my cup of tea.
