A night of music is always good for the mind and body. A night of five extraordinary bands is a next-level experience that is good for the soul. The experimental avant-garde rock band Polkadot Cadaver really brought the arcade to new heights with their quirky and amazing set. Definitely a night to remember! Allow me to take you on a journey of my attendance at this enjoyable night. Anyone who knows me knows I love the odd and twisted, unpredictable styles of music. This night was full of that.
The evening began with The Guardians of Virginity, a fun and creative band that brought a lot of wacky energy. My favorite thing about this whole night was how perfectly unique every band was, in the best way. These guys had a very entertaining stage presence and began the night with a lot of peculiarity. While they have some off-the-wall song lyrics and titles, they are all business when it comes to delivering the music. The GOV consists of members: Aaron Powell (lead vocals), Dustin Jones (guitar), Ryan Caufield (bass), Todd Dunnigan (keyboards), and Jay Angst (drums).
Next was DIVINIUM. This band that has been gaining more and more attention with the three years they have been going. Divinium brings high energy, has great crowd interaction, and compositionally is one of the better bands around Boise. Every time they play a show, the crowds swarm to them, demanding their presence, cascading into the fans and running, playing, or singing directly to them. This all makes them highly compelling. They also brought in another local musician, Hendrix Reyes of Abandoned in the Abyss, to sing alongside vocalist Corey Hayes on one part of a song, which was really exciting to witness. Other members include: Cody Connolly (guitar), Davin Pena (lead guitar), Adam Kirk (bass), and Brett Peterson (drums).
Flagman was a very interesting band that was so amusing live. They have a Primus-style music but even more energy and aggression, in the best way. The crowd flocked to them and enjoyed the lively and expressionistic performance. Flagman is only three musicians, Sam Stewart (lead vocals, bass), Cody Singleton (guitar, vocals), and Grant Freeman (drums, backing vocals), which makes it even more impressive what they can do musically. The full music that is loud and appealing from a trio of members is always enjoyable to be a spectator of.
The Angry Toons took the stage in masks and costumes, which is endlessly fun to see. The unreal energy that bled off of them was contagious, and it made it impossible to sit still. With stage names like Scampi (vocalist) was decked out in cat ears, Cap’n Morgan (guitar, vocals), who wore a dragon mask, Anth0S (bass, backing vocals, synth, and programming), who wore an alien mask, Eagorr (drums, backing vocals) who wore an eagle mask with wings attached to his back, you know you are in for a good time. They ended their set with a cover of Blue Öyster Cult‘s “Godzilla” and really knocked it out of the park with Anthos and Cap’n locked arms and were spinning in a circle while playing each other’s instruments.
Now, the main event, Polkadot Cadaver, took the stage with finesse and domination. Todd Smith decked out in a curly fro wig, along with Jasan Stepp on guitar, Brian White on bass, and Alex Crowley on drums, captured the gaze of everyone in the building and brought the house to its knees with not only Polkadot Cadaver songs, but also represented some Dog Fashion Disco sprinkled in there, much to the delight of many. They played songs “A Wolf in Jesus Skin” and “Chloroform Girl”. They also played the DFD songs “Acid Memoirs” and “Rapist Eyes” off of Commited to a Bright Future. Throughout the set, Smith brought people into his bubble and encouraged them to sing along if they knew the lyrics.
The entire night was nonstop merriment, full of all the laughs and shenanigans, along with some of the best music has to offer. If you can catch Polkadot Cadaver and The Angry Toons on the road this tour, I encourage you to do so! You will not be disappointed. Tour dates and photos by Joe Turmes below!
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