Sunny Surf Punk is exactly what I needed during this rainy Northern California week. Noted for being the band of Joey Armstrong (son of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong), the guys in this band are already poised to take over the world. Spoiler alert: This was one really fun show.
I first saw Bay Area natives SWMRS open for Wavves last year, and they were one of the more energetic openers I have seen in a while. With songs like “Miley Cyrus” and “I Hate Los Angeles” the cheeky humor flows perfectly with the raw intensity of their amps. The low capacity San Francisco club DNA Lounge was packed just enough for a breathable mosh pit to form instantly on the first note of the evening’s set. “We want to check and make sure everyone is ok and is feeling safe” asked the lead singer to the crowd. Honestly, how much of a good time the fans were having in the pit directly influenced how much fun everyone else was having. I really can;t use the word “fun” enough in this review!
Fans crowdsurf at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco
The guys are getting ready to tour in support of their new album, Drive North, coming out next month and played a few new songs from the record. An unusual twist was a bit of drum looping, which added another level of power to the set. I highly recommend if these guys come to your city, pop on in for a swimming lesson – I guarantee you will be drowning in a mosh pit of fun by the end of the first song.
Co-headlining this show was The Aquadolls, a Southern California pop-rock band fronted by singer Melissa Brooks. Brooks, adorning a sparkling blue guitar, evoked echos of Best Coast, which I really liked and thought had a mature feeling to it.
The Aquadolls at DNA Lounge
On the third song, she ditched the guitar and began a very poppy song about “Teenage Dreams” which felt kind of forced towards the all-ages (read: young) crowd. She followed this up by asking how any people were in school, introducing her song “I Hate School.” Her dancing and hair twirling felt very juvinille compared to her more sophisicated work and unfortunately brought down my overall opinion of her act. Overall, she and her band are talented – and I’m excited to see what her music matures into.
