A good old fashioned, ear rattling night of underground music echoed into Sparks’ Victorian Square from the front doors of The Ranch House. The Hounds of Hell Tour – a dual headlining show with Las Vegas’ post-rockabilly group, The Delta Bombers, and Michigan’s scuzzcore The Goddamn Gallows, hit the Reno area bar on its current monthlong western US jaunt.
The Goddamn Gallows were the first of the two to take the stage, wasting no time in promptly creating a circus like atmosphere. Playing off of set lists scribbled in marker onto torn pages of nudie magazines, the group rollicked through a mix of boozy rock that is raucously catchy. Taking a couple breaks to down shots offered to them, the band’s sinister sound verged on messiness while steadfastly staying the course and keeping the audience actively dancing against the low stage.
With standup bass and a selection of guitars and banjos, the Goddamn Gallows captured the sound of midwestern campfire nights fueled by whiskey and a lack of cares. The set culminated with the group calling up drummers from The Delta Bombers and openers Volk and launching into a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Waiting Around To Die”, with performers nearly falling into the crowd for all of the group overflowing the stage space.
The Delta Bombers are making their first appearance in the Reno area since the release of their album, Neon Sounds. The record has the band going well outside the bounds of a typical rockabilly sound and incorporating elements of country, Delta blues, even oldies. In a live setting, the songs feel at home inside of a darkened theater.
In contrast to the Gallows’ stage set up where amps kept the band positioned across the stage, The Delta Bombers minimal onstage setup cleared away most of the equipment, and provided a more vast space. The Bombers’ lead vocalist, Chris Moinichen, made use of every open inch.
The vocalist was constantly in motion – running toward the back corners of the platform, standing atop amps and playing guitar inches above the crowd while peering menacingly into the audience. Stand up bassist Gregario Garcia also swung and spun his bass across the backline.
“I always thought of Reno as Las Vegas’ Canada,” joked Andrew Himmler, lead guitarist of the group, about how Reno compares to the band’s home in Southern Nevada. “It’s colder, everyone’s nicer, and you can drink more than us!”
“I may not be Luke Bryan, but I stole his wardrobe,” shouted Christopher Lowe, half of the Nashville two-piece Volk who opened the show. The drums & guitar combo were equal parts sleaze, swagger and spirit possession who managed to set the chaotic tone early and quickly for what would follow.
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