The Neffs

"Wild Nothing Close Their Tour in Pittsburgh"
by Sarah Wilson

Three bands, three sounds...

Monday night Pittsburgh's Altar Bar hosted three bands with three sounds that, while the connection between the three wasn't as obvious as some pairings I've seen, taken individually it was a great night!

First on the bill was Pittsburgh band I Am a Sea Creature. They are a young band with a young sound. Young as in still growing, still perfecting and to some degree still finding their footing. As you look past the somewhat uneven vocals of singer Ricky Petticord, you can hear there's promise to their sound for certain. There were definitely good points, high points and bright spots in their music. Glad to know they're local so I get a chance to see them again and hopefully see their sound develop and mature.

Second up was another local act. This one is known as The Neffs and these guys? Were amazing. Brothers Jake Ward (vocals, guitar) and Gordy Brash (drums) were joined by bass player Chris Trepagnier (on loan from another local Pittsburgh band The Beauregards) for a set that is best described as high energy rock with a distinct punk rock undertone. Think an odd marriage between the Raconteurs and Japandroids with less shouty vocals and more refined bass and the same hard-banging drums and intricate guitar. All three played amazing and the crowd responded accordingly. Definitely one of those bands you know you'll hear again! Saddly they don't have a whole lot of streams out there. The unmixed track streaming here is a bare example of their sound.

Finally up were headliners Wild Nothing. The set started off with some sound issues; keys were almost totally lost for the first couple of songs. Disappointingly included the song "Shadow." Once the sound was fixed (something was unplugged...) the sound was terrific for the rest of the set, starting with the hypnotic "Golden Haze." The band were on the last night of their tour and, while they sounded great they were a little punchy on stage. Perhaps a hang over from their recent Lollapalooza set? Regardless, aside from some small issues, the band sounded good. Crowd favorites were "Paradise" and their final song of the night, "Summer Holiday."

While it wasn't the most cohesive set of bands I've seen live lately, they were all good in their own rights and the show was well worth the drive out on a Monday night! And keep an eye on The Neffs in particular, I think. - Inyourspeakers Media