The Matches Live @ Fillmore- 6.14.08
The Matches Light-up Fillmore
[The Matches w/ Scissors for Lefty and Brilliant Red Lights- June 14th at Fillmore in San Francisco]
Last Saturday night June 14th, Bay Area bands The Matches, Scissors for Lefty, and Brilliant Red Lights, had the Fillmore packed with high energy tech-pop, sporadic nods to dancing, and all of the girls swooning.
Brilliant Red Lights kicked the night off with a high-energy set. Complete with, wouldn’t you guess it, red spot-lights, anthem-like tunes, and a powerful stage presence you wouldn’t expect from an opening band. These guys were obviously pumped to be playing the Fillmore and being a part of an overall historic night for the local music scene. Their excitement showed throughout their set, and I was really impressed by the confidence yet humble looks on each of their faces up on that historic Fillmore stage. This band will gain a lot of fans from their performance the other night, and rightly so, it was great!
Scissors for Lefty took the stage next. As soon as they made their way into eyes-view, the crowd went wild. Though it was mostly girl’s shrieking I heard as the first notes were played, within the first minute of Scissors for Lefty’s opening song, Fillmore’s floor began to bounce like a trampoline (just the girls would not make it bounce that much).
Lead singer, Bryan Garza, fell into the ‘swooning the ladies’ role the entire night, and did a stand-up job if I do say so myself. Each lyric sung by Garza held emotion. Whether it was a faster/dancing sort of tune, or an acoustic ballad, he made sure to give it his all. I was also impressed by this band’s energy and dedication to each live track. I stepped back a couple times during their set, and noticed a sea of bobbing heads. Not only did they have me off my feet during a few songs, but they had they entire Fillmore dancing as well; impressive!
Last, but certainly not least, The Matches grace the Fillmore crowd with their demanding presence; and the venue explodes into one big roar.
In true Matches fashion, the boys stride out onto the stage in their black, white, and red get-ups; all differing from the other, but still capturing the color scheme of ‘A Band in Hope.’ Head hype-man/lead singer Shawn Harris, works the crowd for some extra screams as he takes his time walking up to the front of the stage, where his microphone stands awaiting.
I must have turned away for a minute, because as I turned back to look in Shawn’s direction, he’s playing his guitar with a banana. Camera flashes went off left and right in order to capture the unique sight. A few more seconds of Shawn using a banana as a guitar pick, then The Matches go right into a long set of oldies, newbies, and dance-moves that would make M.C. Hammer jealous. It was sure to be a good night.
The Matches ended up playing a set of over a dozen songs, each of which had the packed house moving. Providing the older Matches fans with songs like ‘Dog-Eared Page’, ‘Chain Me Free’, and ‘Sick Little Suicide’, and newer fans with ‘Salty Eyes’, ‘Papercut Skin’, and ‘Wake the Sun’; everyone was satisfied.
Among the several hundred people at the show who have been fans of The Matches for some time, there were a few attendees who were there for a different band and weren’t too familiar with The Matches- also known as the people I came with. But after the show, they were drawn to the dark-side, and wouldn’t leave without grabbing a piece of Matches merchandise.
Being a local kid myself, and having seen The Matches play live at least a handful of times, I was extremely impressed by the night’s performance. The Matches are always full of energy when playing live, but something was different Saturday night. Normally a band full of harmless egos, they seemed a little taken back by size and grandness of the venue and show. Definitely not in a bad way, as they kicked more ass than ever, but on this one night, each member’s eye’s looked a little wider and more appreciative than before.
Maybe it was playing at one of the most prestigious venues in San Francisco, or the size of the crowd that made The Matches play so well, but June 14th’s show was honestly the best I had EVER seen them play live. The Matches have come a long way since playing Imusiccast and other small venues around the Bay, and it makes me very happy to say that these guys are not done yet. Hopefully they’ll be playing lots more venues like Fillmore, world-wide!
**For more information on The Matches, goat to: TheMatches.Fuzz.com!
[The Matches w/ Scissors for Lefty and Brilliant Red Lights- June 14th at Fillmore in San Francisco]
Last Saturday night June 14th, Bay Area bands The Matches, Scissors for Lefty, and Brilliant Red Lights, had the Fillmore packed with high energy tech-pop, sporadic nods to dancing, and all of the girls swooning.
Brilliant Red Lights kicked the night off with a high-energy set. Complete with, wouldn’t you guess it, red spot-lights, anthem-like tunes, and a powerful stage presence you wouldn’t expect from an opening band. These guys were obviously pumped to be playing the Fillmore and being a part of an overall historic night for the local music scene. Their excitement showed throughout their set, and I was really impressed by the confidence yet humble looks on each of their faces up on that historic Fillmore stage. This band will gain a lot of fans from their performance the other night, and rightly so, it was great!
Scissors for Lefty took the stage next. As soon as they made their way into eyes-view, the crowd went wild. Though it was mostly girl’s shrieking I heard as the first notes were played, within the first minute of Scissors for Lefty’s opening song, Fillmore’s floor began to bounce like a trampoline (just the girls would not make it bounce that much).
Lead singer, Bryan Garza, fell into the ‘swooning the ladies’ role the entire night, and did a stand-up job if I do say so myself. Each lyric sung by Garza held emotion. Whether it was a faster/dancing sort of tune, or an acoustic ballad, he made sure to give it his all. I was also impressed by this band’s energy and dedication to each live track. I stepped back a couple times during their set, and noticed a sea of bobbing heads. Not only did they have me off my feet during a few songs, but they had they entire Fillmore dancing as well; impressive!
Last, but certainly not least, The Matches grace the Fillmore crowd with their demanding presence; and the venue explodes into one big roar.
In true Matches fashion, the boys stride out onto the stage in their black, white, and red get-ups; all differing from the other, but still capturing the color scheme of ‘A Band in Hope.’ Head hype-man/lead singer Shawn Harris, works the crowd for some extra screams as he takes his time walking up to the front of the stage, where his microphone stands awaiting.
I must have turned away for a minute, because as I turned back to look in Shawn’s direction, he’s playing his guitar with a banana. Camera flashes went off left and right in order to capture the unique sight. A few more seconds of Shawn using a banana as a guitar pick, then The Matches go right into a long set of oldies, newbies, and dance-moves that would make M.C. Hammer jealous. It was sure to be a good night.
The Matches ended up playing a set of over a dozen songs, each of which had the packed house moving. Providing the older Matches fans with songs like ‘Dog-Eared Page’, ‘Chain Me Free’, and ‘Sick Little Suicide’, and newer fans with ‘Salty Eyes’, ‘Papercut Skin’, and ‘Wake the Sun’; everyone was satisfied.
Among the several hundred people at the show who have been fans of The Matches for some time, there were a few attendees who were there for a different band and weren’t too familiar with The Matches- also known as the people I came with. But after the show, they were drawn to the dark-side, and wouldn’t leave without grabbing a piece of Matches merchandise.
Being a local kid myself, and having seen The Matches play live at least a handful of times, I was extremely impressed by the night’s performance. The Matches are always full of energy when playing live, but something was different Saturday night. Normally a band full of harmless egos, they seemed a little taken back by size and grandness of the venue and show. Definitely not in a bad way, as they kicked more ass than ever, but on this one night, each member’s eye’s looked a little wider and more appreciative than before.
Maybe it was playing at one of the most prestigious venues in San Francisco, or the size of the crowd that made The Matches play so well, but June 14th’s show was honestly the best I had EVER seen them play live. The Matches have come a long way since playing Imusiccast and other small venues around the Bay, and it makes me very happy to say that these guys are not done yet. Hopefully they’ll be playing lots more venues like Fillmore, world-wide!
**For more information on The Matches, goat to: TheMatches.Fuzz.com!
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