Holy Wave will be in Europe by the end of the week, kicking off a stint of dates with a show in Sweden at the Oslo Psych Fest. But before leaving, they stopped at Hotel Vegas to say goodbye to their loyal fans with a show that was part of Austin’s city-wide United We Jam effort. (More on that tomorrow.) They were supported on the bill by Hidden Ritual, Dead Space, and Annabelle Chairlegs. The room was still filling up when Annabelle Chairlegs started the evening with lo-fi inspired surfy retro-pop, or “dirt pop” as they have described themselves. Lead singer Lindsey Mackin led her three fellows through a jumpy set of tunes filled with quirky, clean guitar riffs and nervous energy. After surviving as a two-piece, Annabelle found a second guitar and bass to round out their lineup.
Dead Space followed with their 80’s/Interpol/Bauhaus-inspired set. Driving drums and bass dominated the room with strictly minor key themed guitar lines. Doomy and gloomy, the 12XU-associated act maintained a steady rise and fall of dynamics, inserting and removing clamoring guitar bursts to emphasize climactic spats. Garrett Hadden’s feedbacking guitar complimented Quin Galavis’ darkly reverbed croon while drummer Jenny Arthur held down the post-punk rhythm with rock-steady percussion worthy of attention.
After Dead Space’s set, the crowd began filing in from outside as the Holy Wave’s set approached. But before the Wave set in, Hidden Ritual climbed on the small Hotel Vegas stage to deliver their version of hypnotic psych jams. Despite the dimly lit room, lead singer Jaime Zuverza kept his shades on throughout the set, likely not a result of stage fright. I was a bit let down by the performance, which lacked enough changes to keep my interest. The pieces seemed to be held delicately in place and I was anxiously expecting some sort of release–good or bad–but had none and was kept in a state of limbo. Their recorded material is wonderfully lo-fi esoteric psychedelia which may be hard to translate into the live setting, where lo-fi aesthetics can be lost in translation.
All anxiety was swept aside as Holy Wave began their sonic slap in the face. Other than drummer Julian Ruiz, the rest of the band switched between instruments: electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and keyboards. The result was an array of washed out tones melting together and spilling out over a heavily vibing crowd, who at this point filled the Hotel Vegas stage room to capacity. Pushed all the way to the edge of the stage, ladies and gents alike swung their heads loosely from their necks as the waves came crashing in. Tempo changes and extended instrumental passages kept us clawing for more. The band rocked out late into the night, closing out the Hotel and bidding adieu to their hometown as they gear up for their trip across the pond.
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