Show Review: Bad Vacation, Funerol, Jimi Lucid, Psychic Death at Heaven Can Wait.
November 8th, 2024.
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Are we there yet?
November 9th, 2024
Last night a snap of cool air spun up small tornadoes of dead leaves on the sidewalks and streets of the Lower East Side as we crawled our way towards Heaven Can Wait. Hot Cool Girl Presents assembled a bill of Psychic Death, Jimi Lucid, Funerol, and Bad Vacation to rock a rodents world. Here’s our account of the show:
Slow trains and slippery brains were to blame for us missing Psychic Death’s entire set. As we lined up for the venue we watched their members hurriedly tossing black bags of gear into the back of an unmarked white van idling on the curb, like some kind of punk rock heist. They were in town all the way from Atlanta and we blew it. They recently released their killer No Sounds EP in September, slip on your dancing shoes and check it out.
Jimi Lucid packed their five members onto the stage for a hybrid mix of fuzz, distortion, and groove. Rich scuzzy bass and a double rhythm guitar section laid it on thick. Guitars were drenched in a constant wash of reverb and amp hum. Drumming was tight and locked in and the strong moody bass lines were a constant standout. Some people like Dr. Peper, others swear by Diet Dr. Pepper. Jimi Lucid tasted like Diet MXLonely. What do you think? Jimi Lucid's brand new single Telepathy dropped just yesterday, sip some while it’s still carbonated and let us know.
Funerol were up next, a fitting group name for a venue called Heaven Can Wait. This California quartet rocked out while still leaving space for their music to breathe. Their bassist channeled the metronomic muscle of Dee Dee Ramone and drums had an unlimited supply of rapid-fire fils. A favorite was Spill from their recent EP Broken Heroes. They also have a brand new single out, Sleep Paralysis.
Bad Vacation was a good sonic holiday from the musically mundane. It was punk, it thrashed, it was thrash punk. Guitars were bone dry, no need for reverb when you’ve got the need for speed. Stage lights flashed epileptically to match the vibe. Their lead singer threw himself around so much that his belt came undone and eventually fell off completely. It was fast and furious and over too soon. The crowd demanded an encore and they got what they wanted out of their vacation.
Another taxi for me, another rat in the street. Shouts out to Hot Cool Girl Presents for putting together a rocking show. Connect with Psychic Death, Jimi Lucid, Funeral, and Bad Vacation if you dig their sounds. The show must go on and maybe you’ll be at the next one? That’s a wrap, Rrrat Pack, see you around.
