Vundabar
Summer came early on March 31st when Vundabar, Ratboys, and Exasperation brought an energy that lit up the Soda Bar.
Exasperation, the local opener, didn’t just warm up the crowd, but set the standard for what was to be an excellent night of rock music. With a talented rhythm section, the singer and guitarist were able to fill the Soda Bar with tones reminiscent of the grunge and post punk era sounds of the 90’s. Look out for this band at a venue in town as their live show is not to be missed.
Touring along with Vundabar on this massive full U.S. leg, Ratboys (Chicago, IL) played a significant show as their label, Top Shelf Records, is based out of San Diego. Armed with beautiful guitars and a palpable gusto, lead singer Julia Steiner greeted the crowd and proceeded to a strum through a breezy and bouncy set of indie rock.
Blending a unique variety of rock genres including garage, math, and surf influenced rock and roll, Vundabar’s take on the idea of the classic rock and roll trio is a fresh and promising one. Their third album, released last February, Smell Smoke finds the band continuing with their extremely catchy sound, but with darker undertones filled biting humor. They quickly jumped into the booming lead single “Acetone”, igniting smiles and head bops throughout the room. Reaching to songs off of Gawk and further, their energy and humor on stage was charming and infectious. Ending the night on the sun-bleached epic “Voodoo”, the band ran through an extended outro that was enrapturing and cemented the rising talent of this young band.