The Helio Sequence, Rogue Wave, and Audio Out Send hit the Knitting Factory in Hollywood on June 30th. Audio Out Send started the show off with their dreamy pop to a small crowd, which had swelled by the close of their set. Rogue Wave, the NorCal 4 piece, followed. The all ages venue was sprinkled with high school kids that reminded me of my youth, in Chuck Taylors and hoodies standing at the front of the stage singing along to all of the band’s songs. Rogue Wave’s set was amazing, sounding much like, if not better than their record of harmonic Shins-like pop. The drummer rocked and probably had the best hair in the band (think Sideshow Bob). They plowed through an impressive set and even managed to throw in a brief jam with the 2 guys from The Helio Sequence, which turned out to be one of the show highlights for me. Overall a great set and its always a treat to see a band that enjoys playing together.
The Helio Sequence followed as the headliners and for being just two guys, they put out a TON of music! The drummer is front and center and rightfully so. Definitely one of the better drummers that I’ve seen in a while. He divides his time with Modest Mouse, but I don’t remember him ever rocking out like this with MM. The lead singer/guitarist was great too, solidifying The Helio Sequence as a total entity of great sound. They were captivating and really got the audience going with their mainly instrumental pop. Great show all around.
