The night began with Forests, the emo darlings of Singapore, and honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better start. They’ve graced Denver before, blowing the roof off Seventh Circle with Ben Quad, so walking in and spotting their merch booth, manned by their drummer and his sweet, smiling wife, felt like fate. Their set was everything: cute little one-liners like “Okay, this is a song,” woven between absolute bangers of Singaporean emo gold. If you haven’t heard of them do yourself a favor and listen to Kawaii Hawaii and Fools of hell.
Next up were Macseal and Arms Length, both bringing their A-game. Macseal, the only band sporting femme energy, and you know I’m always here for that! There’s something about non-cis white dudes on stage that makes the music hit harder. Representation matters, babe.
But let’s be real, Arms Length had my whole heart. The last time they played in Denver, I missed it for a storm warning. This felt like it lasted a full hour, but I guess I was enjoying it that much! This set had me daydreaming about starting a noise band to scream about heartbreak and to abuse power chords. For a band formed within the last 5 years, ABSOLUTELY put these guys on your radar!
Then came Origami Angel. Let’s talk about these legends, the GOAT, the dream team, the two-piece powerhouse that has been touring the US for nearly three years now. They’re a well-oiled machine, and everyone in the room knew this show would be huge. Spoiler alert, it was. When Skeleton Key dropped, the collective euphoria in that room could have powered the venue for weeks.
Speaking of moments, I spotted a handful of cuties in the crowd with 3DS consoles, casually snapping pics and chatting, and it gave me life. Like, how refreshing is it to actually talk to people instead of pretending we’re all too cool? I also got to indulge in one of my favorite hobbies – playing water fairy at the barricade, tossing out bottled water faster than any paid staff member. Summit, in its capitalist glory, charges for bottled water (of course they do), but hey, at least they have a communal water fountain. Nothing bonds a crowd like full-mouthing the watering nipple.
As you can probably tell by the cool cover image, @paaaate did this because I was busy and @paaaate killed it (although I put that title in because please do that)! And shame on the Summit. I’m waving my shame stick at them from my computing screen. Shame shame shame for charging for water. Also, it’s the holidays, why not merch? Maybe something for that aunt that always asks if you saw her Facebook post?
