In the midst of a cooling wave over the Reno area, the typical sweltering summer heat has been traded for nearly perfect evenings that has brought people outside. It could be felt in the numerous groups of people on bicycles weaving down streets, or the general calm and friendly greetings of people passing each other on the downtown pedestrian walks. And it was apparent in the line outside midtown Reno’s Cypress bar that stretched several storefronts down Virginia Street even after the first of the night’s bands had begun playing inside.
Put on by The Holland Project, Reno’s all ages show space, this one took place in the Cypress owing to the venue’s larger capacity. And throughout the four bands that played, the dance floor of the larger space remained packed throughout the night.
Opening the evening was Worm Shot, a four piece heavily reminiscent of the more unrefined groups of 90’s alternative like The Breeders or Babes In Toyland. The group played songs from their new EP, showing what could’ve been had some of the 60’s era girl groups played their own instruments in a garage style haze of guitars and percussion. Members at one point traded instruments, finishing the set in a whirl of sound touching on discordant to a cheering room.
Somewhere in my closet in a box of old VHS tapes is a copy of Penelope Spheeris’ 1981 film, The Decline of Western Civilization, a documentary of Los Angeles punk bands during a time when the underground shows reflected the adrenaline and wild unpredictability of a room full of those people intentionally casting a wide berth from the monotonous culture outside of those walls. Pussy Velour, led by vocalist Wolfgang Hendrix, easily could have been plucked from the old film celluloid. Leaping onto the crowd, writhing onstage, spitting water across the heads of the audience, Pussy Velour and Hendrix were a burst of Cramps style skuzzy rock with Iggy Pop like manically hedonistic energy. By far the most interactive of the night’s performers, their set was a brief window into the seedy shows that years later make the most memorable nights.
Bringing the room back to a more cerebral tone was Bug Bath. With clear influences of groups like Guided By Voices, the haze of layered guitars filled the room, allowing one to get lost in the sonic landscapes reverberating off of the brick walls. The pit was awash with energy, while the tightly packed room sweat and provided little space to move around in, but the front of the house was dancing to the band’s wall of distortion. With relatively little talk between songs, it’s clear the standard that the group carries themselves with musically.
With the diversity of the styles onstage during the show, one thing that sticks out is how much the crowd and the band members themselves vocally supported everyone else. When offstage, the bands could often be seen standing immediately beside the front of the room cheering on each other group. The number of people pushed up front dancing to every band that played was apparent.
Charity Kiss was the final band to take the stage. Having by far the most accessible sound of the night, the group played through a straightforward rock set, elevating their sound to match the audience’s energy that seemed to climb throughout their set.
With the summer giving up the first pangs of the fall, this show fell into place as an epic sendoff to the warm season with a final large party.
Check out the bands’ music and upcoming shows through their socials:
