We Have Guns, Gusher, This Patch Of Sky, & Hyding Jekyll @ WOW Hall

Words & Photos by Joshua “Fat Nubs” Finch

The brethren were out in full force for a night of local heavies at The WOW Hall last Friday. The one-two punch of We Have Guns and Gusher (Ex-Northwest Royale) would have been more than enough reason to grace the hall with your collective appearances, not to mention the additional cake icing brought by This Patch Of Sky (possibly my new favorite local act) and Hyding Jekyll. For those of you that missed it, here’s what went down:

This Patch Of Sky played a short, tight set of their own brand of post-rock that’d make fans of both Explosions In The Sky and Pelican feel quite at home. Sharing not only the news of an impending new record, but a sampling of tunes from that record, TPOS opened the night and were met by an awestruck crowd.

Admittedly, alcohol robbed me of my opportunity to really catch much of Hyding Jekyll’s set. The couple of tunes I did catch were groove-rock that seemed as Primus influenced as they did Floater-esque. Though not my bag, well executed, technically and sonically on point.

Gusher got the crowd riled up with their everything-goes approach to rock. Elements of grunge, alternative, punk, and some hardcore breakdowns here and there, these guys play heavy rock with hooks and wear so many influences on their sleeve that even the naysayers will find themselves digging on parts of the set. This is a band that knows how to do what they want, while still creating a sound that’s wholly approachable. Brilliant.

We Have Guns has become that band that I can’t be particularly impartial about. Their album is one of my favorite records of last year, they’re some of the nicest guys I know, and they also happen to melt my face on a regular basis. I may be too close to the subject, but I feel like they put on one of the best shows you can see locally. They not only let the crowd, their friends, the brethren be part of the show but let you feel like the reason for the event. Also, they’re out to break stages, which is just plain fun.