#8

Bridge and Tunnel
Mouthbreather
Red Collar


I wasn't sure if I wanted to attend this one or not, due to having a job interview in the morning and not being in a real mood for a show (which is rare for me). I figured that most likely this could be a little quiet gig (not literally though) and it was $5. Give it a go.

The soapbox had two different bills that night, with this one taking up the lounge downstairs. Upstairs was Bleeding Through, The Acacia Strain, As Blood Runs Black, and Impending Doom. No thanks. I kind of felt bad for the ASBTB guys seeing as how they had to open and play to kids who were only there for the br00tul breakdowns and good cop/bad cop vocals. There were also reportedly a lot of fights that night, which isn't a surprise.

Downstairs was a total contrast though. I got there to see a rather chill/fun looking group of people gathered. Good sign. It took forever for our show to start though. By the time Bleeding Through, the headliners, were done upstairs, our first band had just finished their set. Ugh. Red Collar were cool though. Kinda reminded me of that whole late 80s post-hardcore/post-punk sound (Fugazi and all that stuff). Some good energy from the group and some nice little fun grooves. I'm curious as to how they sound on record.

I caught Mouthbreather up in Richmond last year when they opened for Modern Life is War's final VA gig. Band had a good punk f'n rock vibe and some great old hardcore attitude. Vocalist reminds me of Wes Eisold a tiny bit, with a seemingly endless amount of energy. They were loud as shit and played incredibly tight. Probably my favorite performance I've seen this year so far. I only wish they had played longer. Come back gentlemen. You slayed.

I know a lot of people dig on Bridge and Tunnel but I had never really given them a proper listen. I'm glad I decided to stay for their set since I was thoroughly impressed. Another post-hardcore/punk band with 3 members trading off vocals or singing at the same time. They had some truly great melodies that brought to mind another band I absolutely loved: Holy Roman Empire. The music was more Polar Bear Club/Hot Water Music than HRE though. Speaking of vocalists, man that girl guitarist was cute. I wanted to hug her. But uh, anyway, yeah the band was good.

Afterwards, I got to chat with the singer for Mouthbreather for a quick minute. Nice guy. Bought their LP as well as B&T's LP. Both records are clear and come with digital downloads too. Score!

I hope all of these bands come back to Wilmington some time in the near future. It's always fun to try and expand your taste by attending gigs you would never usually give a chance.