A Night of 90’s Grunge Rock and a Game of Smash Bros with Durry
On October 21, 2025, the brother sister indie rock duo Durry took the Quartyard in San Diego for a night of fun, electric music, community, and even a game of Super Smash Bros. The Quartyard is a gorgeous outdoor venue in downtown San Diego, fitted with bistro lights, high tops in the grass and benches underneath a disco ball. The sun set, the audience strewn about, chatting, drinking, a block party feel emerging as the spunky Gully Boys open the show.
The Gully Boys are an alt pop, grunge rock group from Minneapolis. Kathy Callahan leads the vocals, backed by the bands’ drummer, Nadirah McGill, Natalie Klemond on bass and Mariah Mercedes on lead guitar. The band snags the crowd’s attention instantly with their firey energy. The setlist is full of their self-titled debut album, including a song called “Murderopolis,” which they explain as a play on the way people talk about their hometown, and a way to take back the city and its’ nickname as their own. They sing, scream, and strut unapologetically and proudly on stage, freeing the crowd from their own reservations and leaving the stage warm and buzzing for Durry.
Indie rock brother sister duo Austin and Taryn Durry started out in 2020 and grew to fame with their viral single, “Who’s Laughing Now?” They have since released two albums, most recent of which came out a couple months ago titled “This Movie Sucks.” With Austin’s wife Ashley on bass and Dane Hoppe on drums, this family affair makes for an intimate rock show packed with down to earth but cutting lyricism and 90’s era edgy instrumentals.
The music and environment come to life with visuals shown on five flat screen TVs positioned behind the band. When the setlist reaches the title track of their new album, a song about comparing your own life to a movie you hate, the screens show clips of classic 80s and 90s movie s glitching in and out, features like “Jurassic Park,” “The Breakfast Club,” and the time traveling classic “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” However, the more surprising (and thrilling) use of the TVs happens during a song called “TKO,” when two audience members go up on stage, are handed game controls, and play a round of Smash Bros. Austin and Taryn split the crowd in half, a side to root for each player, and they play the song, keeping up with the game via the cheers of the audience. This moment bonds the band and the crowd in a way that only elevates the rest of the show.
The night wound down with a slow, emotionally heightened moment to the song “The Long Goodbye,” and finally a fan that won a raffle got to go home with a VHS that included all of Durry’s music videos.
The crowd gave everything they had left for the final songs, concluding a Tuesday night of movies that might suck, but at least there’s a great score.
Review by: Claire Irigoyen
Photos by: Claire Irigoyen
