Pop Press International is on vacation. Well, while some of the newest team members are holding down the Austin scene, while I am in Denver and Seattle on a trip to gather information for my upcoming 33 1/3 volume on Beat Happening. The trip is affording some great opportunities to see bands in environs other than Austin, allowing me to experience other music communities and see other cities’ versions of medium tier indie rock venues. (More to come.)
On Saturday night, Texas indie pop band The Tontons’ tour coincided with my trip, and I was able to catch up with the group and capture some photos at their Larimer Lounge gig in Denver. Larimer Lounge is a long, narrow venue in the city’s RiNo (River North) discrict, located north of Denver’s downtown on a street lined with bars and venues. The venue’s large front room and bar area is separate from the room that houses only the stage. A back patio and bar area sits even further back, behind the stage room. These separate areas for bars allow for patrons who just want to chat and hang and seemed to drastically reduce audience chatter.
With Aslie Omar at the helm, The Tontons were as on point as ever, cranking out guitar hook-laden indie pop gems built around the strong central pillar of Omar’s voice. “Veida” stood out as a high point of the night, but I still think my favorite Tontons track is the smooth and moody “Bones 1,” an anomaly among their repertoire. The venue was reasonably full for a small touring act, and Omar thanked fans profusely as she recanted the story of their first time in Denver several years ago, when they played to only the bartender and door guy, who argued with one another for the duration of the night. As the band has gained notoriety, their comfort and instrumental prowess onstage has solidified. Omar and bassist Tom Nguyen, whose stoic focus is transfixing, share a relaxed yet clear chemistry.
The band is on tour for a few more weeks with some dates along the west coast and a one-off date in Brooklyn for the AfroPunk festival in late August. Catching them is highly recommended. See photos from their Larimer Lounge show below.
All photos © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International; all rights reserved. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
