From out of San Luis Obispo, California this 5 Piece Indie Rock group have been gaining their fair share of notoriety without the loss of modesty. From their 2007 Debut EP Casting Shadows, the guys from Night Riots have come a long way, fine tuning their music every step of that way. Hailing from London, lead singer Travis Hawley fuses poetic lyrics with a familiar voice like that of singers like Robert Smith and Brandon Flowers hinting at that English/British accent, whatever it is you want to call it, all while balancing fun, sing along, catchy harmonies and melodies. Both guitarist Matt Depauw and Nick Fotinakes bring in power without it becoming overwhelming for catchy leads and vocals while bassist Mikel Vk provides both great bass grooves without sacrificing some killer bass riffs. And of course Rico Rodriguez adding in his fun, subtle yet powerful drums into the song creates a signature Night Riots song.
There has never been a single time whenever there has been a Night Riots song that I have the bad habit to skip over. Their 2010 full length album, Into The Roaring, set their sound and their well deserved future. With the well placed opening track "London", Into The Roaring sends you... roaring in to the album. Poppy, fast, catchy, simple, melancholic, and romantic are just a few words to describe the opener and its quite the fan favorite for live sets, opening with the echo filled guitars accompanied by a kick ass bass riff the song moves up with a quiet, remember-able lead building up into the Hawleys first verse of the album, setting the quality of the songs to come.
Following "London" comes the song opening with another sick bass riff, "Roam", while both have a girl as the subject (as do most songs nowadays), Roam speaks on a rather different tone many of us fellas have faced before, a girl we want, cant have, likes the asshole who doesn't want her. Now this doesn't entirely set the rest of the album, and before many of us were shown how ugly the world can be we all had our innocence, and as you can tell by the title, "Innocence" touches just upon that. A fast paced, fun, catchy song, , speaks of young man who just wants to keep his youth while the woman he is with wants more than just, she wants to see the world, she tries to make it deeper than he'd like, and if that's what it becomes he'd rather be "six feet under" so the song goes.
Including a recurring guitar solo by Mr. Fotinakes, it has its punk rock roots which these gents are no strangers to. Similar, "The Catch"shows the same fast paced, fun and catchy quality. Subtle lead guitar parts have me listening time and time for different parts that fit the song well. The song touches upon Hawley's past experience on the road, feeling dirty among other things, Hawley felt he didnt have what it takes to live that way as a musician and having to return home, however thats a much different story now. "Evana Carina", "1920", "Wolves of the East Coast" and "Something in the Mist Took John Lee" touch upon the effect that people have on each others lives. 1920 is the song of friends, though someday they will part ways, for now all they need are good friends even on cold nights, while Wolves ( a personal favorite of mine) goes upon someone dear to you, to Hawley it was siblings, wanting back the time you had and Something in the Mist isn't too different, both people trying to forget each other having a difficult time, and one disappears forever thus presents "Evana Carina" leaving you with a mystery of a person you hardly knew, that haunts your mind day and night.
There has never been a single time whenever there has been a Night Riots song that I have the bad habit to skip over. Their 2010 full length album, Into The Roaring, set their sound and their well deserved future. With the well placed opening track "London", Into The Roaring sends you... roaring in to the album. Poppy, fast, catchy, simple, melancholic, and romantic are just a few words to describe the opener and its quite the fan favorite for live sets, opening with the echo filled guitars accompanied by a kick ass bass riff the song moves up with a quiet, remember-able lead building up into the Hawleys first verse of the album, setting the quality of the songs to come.
Following "London" comes the song opening with another sick bass riff, "Roam", while both have a girl as the subject (as do most songs nowadays), Roam speaks on a rather different tone many of us fellas have faced before, a girl we want, cant have, likes the asshole who doesn't want her. Now this doesn't entirely set the rest of the album, and before many of us were shown how ugly the world can be we all had our innocence, and as you can tell by the title, "Innocence" touches just upon that. A fast paced, fun, catchy song, , speaks of young man who just wants to keep his youth while the woman he is with wants more than just, she wants to see the world, she tries to make it deeper than he'd like, and if that's what it becomes he'd rather be "six feet under" so the song goes.
Including a recurring guitar solo by Mr. Fotinakes, it has its punk rock roots which these gents are no strangers to. Similar, "The Catch"shows the same fast paced, fun and catchy quality. Subtle lead guitar parts have me listening time and time for different parts that fit the song well. The song touches upon Hawley's past experience on the road, feeling dirty among other things, Hawley felt he didnt have what it takes to live that way as a musician and having to return home, however thats a much different story now. "Evana Carina", "1920", "Wolves of the East Coast" and "Something in the Mist Took John Lee" touch upon the effect that people have on each others lives. 1920 is the song of friends, though someday they will part ways, for now all they need are good friends even on cold nights, while Wolves ( a personal favorite of mine) goes upon someone dear to you, to Hawley it was siblings, wanting back the time you had and Something in the Mist isn't too different, both people trying to forget each other having a difficult time, and one disappears forever thus presents "Evana Carina" leaving you with a mystery of a person you hardly knew, that haunts your mind day and night.
And that leaves us with out last two songs "Daughters of Eve" and "Beware the Moors!" two in a somewhat contrast. Daughters (another personal favorite of mine) changes itself many times throughout its plays, while its breakdown is what really hooks you. It being about a woman or women who constantly and relentlessly cheat and lie to others for their own personal gain and the toll it has on those who feel towards these beings, leaving them in the dark and having them learn the hard way. And lastly we come down to "Beware the Moors!", a great finisher with an recognizable bass line intro by Mikel, this song that starts off with a down on his luck kid who picks himself up, gets it together and makes it his own way, Beware the Moors! ends the album with a hopeful tone for those down on their luck.
This being one of my favorite full length albums, I have made it a little more biased. Big woop. However, this shouldn't stop you from checking these fellas out, I have met them several times and would go so far as to call them friends. They're humble, friendly, modest guys, their stage presence is exciting, their songs and shows kick ass, they'll chat with you hours after the show and all around great guys. Don't forget to check out their most recent release, Lost Boys Sessions which has been out for almost a year, containing some of their best tracks so far (which I will review more in the future). They've got a few more shows lined up for the next couple months and are currently recording new material which I have had the chance to hear live and I gotta say I'm excited for what they're releasing next.
Catch 'em
May 17 @ 600 Fremont St. Las Vegas, Nevada
May 18 @ Lo Fi Coffe, Mesa, AZ
May 19 @Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California
June 7 @
Troubadour, Hollywood, CA
- C
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