The Dangerous Summer are a band who have been through a lot… Break ups, jailed guitarists, reunions, a slew of members coming and going with touring members filling the gaps. You can hear that turmoil in the music with the style wavering across the spectrum of pop punk and emo. So much so, in fact, that you could mistake them for different bands when the discography is on shuffle. That’s not a bad thing as we like to be kept on our toes and if the footage of this tour so far is anything to go by, tonight’s Catty gig should be a blinder.
The opener tonight is Happydaze who I remember supporting Trophy Eyes not so long ago. I’m deliberately not revisiting what I said back then to keep my ears and opinions fresh, but I will say it’s a lot better seeing them on a stage that isn’t choked full of fog… That I couldn’t forget. They’re [still?] a great homegrown pop punk band.
Pulling from the likes of The Story So Far and Neck Deep with great rhythmic music and vocals that counter the melody with a fair amount of angst. There’s not quite as much movement as I remember from last time but it’s still a great show. I’m looking forward to when I can see this band playing their own shows rather than opening for the bigger acts. They’re just about good enough to take off and it’s just a case of flooring the gas pedal on it.
Broadside is the main support and the reason I put tonight in my diary. Independently advertised on my gig apps, I thought they were the headliner. But we have the pleasure of a double feature as far as I’m concerned. I first got hooked on Broadside with their banger ‘Coffee Talk’ which reeks of early 2000s pop punk and that’s what I’m here for.
Coming on to a very loud ‘Mr Brightside’, Broadside quickly confirm they’re not all about the cliché version of pop punk, but bring a slant in the form of slightly electronic, slightly new age rock n roll. There’s a lot of darkness towards the end of the set too. Hailing from America where they are proud of two things – “saying thank you too much and kissing our cousins” – they do very well including the aforementioned hit.
After that, about 4 or 5 songs deep, the wind gets taken out their sails a little when their backing track device decides it’s not playing any more and we’re left with a long awkward pause while they try to fix it. While there’s some emergency teching going on, we learn they’re coming back in February with State Champs which is going to be a belter of a show. Once the laptop/iPod/8track is back up and running, the show gets back up to speed pretty quickly.
During final track ‘Foolish Believer’ the guitarist and bassist switch instruments half way through… And I have no idea why. It doesn’t bring anything to the track and anyone who is half in the know understands that both musicians should be able to play each instrument anyway. That left me a bit confused. Forgiving the technical hitches, this has been just another reason to go to that State Champs gig.
The Dangerous Summer come on and one look at singer/bassist AJ Perdomo screams “rockstar”. The leather jacket, the outrageous hair that inspires envy in the most secure glamour model, all coupled with a huge dose of charisma. As soon as he opens his mouth we get something special that doesn’t quite make it onto the recordings. AJ’s voice live has a fantastic grit and soul that falls in the neighbourhood of Brian Fallon. The music isn’t as driven as Gaslight Anthem but the poppiness makes sure we’re getting something different.
It’s clear to see that this band is comfortable on a stage. Not only is the music tight, but the presence is great with plenty of interaction with the fans. That reaches its pinnacle with AJ entering the crowd to sing, much to the delight of one clearly inebriated lady who was living her best life tonight. This performance is dripping with polish and showmanship.
If you come here tonight as a fan, there’s very little that can be faulted. An intimate show (not only a small venue but far from a sell out) with a performance that belongs on a stage five times the size. Note perfect and soaked in the attitude you’d expect from real rockstars. There’s songs from eight different albums – which shows how long of a road these guys have been down – with new album ‘Gravity’ holding the lion’s share, but the old tracks taking the glory.
This is the second remarkable gig I’ve been to at The Cathouse in as many weeks. Hopefully there’s going to be a lot more this good.
Photos by Catching Light Photography