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Vanna opened the show to a surprisingly small crowd, especially for a show featuring two Rhode Island bands (Hulk Out, Get Killed) and the art kid appealing Some Girls. Providence is definitely an unpredictable place for crowds, though I may never understand why.
Back on topic, Vanna had a decent sound. They played post hardcore with heavy (though kind of generic) breakdowns and screamy vocals, with an occasional death metal scowl tossed in there. I was digging them, and the fact that they didn't sing, but then they hit me in the face with their third song and its mixture of unneeded singing and screaming.
This is a band with potential, although their stage presence wasn't that impressive. As Mullet put it: "They're a high energy band with no energy." They're pretty young, so I can definitely seem them improving over time.
I like how Hulk Out looked like a bunch of dirty creepy dudes that a parent would shield their kids from if they walked by. They played awesome early D.C. influenced hardcore with grind and super short songs. They weren't tight, and their drummer wasn't that good, but that was part of what made them great. Their set was no more than ten minutes (maybe 12 minutes), but in that time, the Celtics went from being down by only 3 to losing by 17. Bummer, but Hulk Out was very enjoyable.
I was never into Get Killed, despite their awesome name. I find their mid tempo with sometimes grind punk hardcore to be boring, and this set was no different. Part of their first song sounded a bit like Some Girls, but then they started to get boring. They have a lot of energy onstage, and the crowd was digging them (though not as much at the end of their set), but I wasn't feeling it.
The crowd had really thinned out by the time Some Girls took the stage, which I found very confusing. Those people missed one hell of a show, as Some Girls tore shit up for about a half hour. Their stage presence is what really got me: their drummer was going nuts, their guitarists would head bang from time to time, their bassist, Justin Pearson stood pretty still, as did Wes Eisold. Eisold had a very eeire look to him, constantly leering at the crowd like a teacher angry with the class. There were times when he would go nuts, but not often, and the staring looked cooler.
After watching Some Girls live, I have a newfound appreciation for Heaven's Pregnant Teens. They sounded more clear live than on their album, and I was able to see what they were doing with their instruments. I must admit, that "Deathface," a song that I wasn't a huge fan of, was the highlight of their set. It was awesome seeing these guys rock out on that riff for awhile, and became even cooler when Jon from Daughters joined in on second drums.
Written by: RF