The Front Bottoms (w/ Basement, Bad Bad Hats) @ College Street Music Hall (New Haven, CT) on October 20, 2017 [Photos & Show Review]

Following up the release of their latest full-length album Going Grey (which dropped earlier this month), The Front Bottoms have headed out on their U.S. tour with support from Basement and Bad Bad Hats. Once a dynamic duo between vocalist/guitarist Brian Sella and drummer Mat Uychich that is now a full band, The Front Bottoms have progressed drastically since their first self-titled full-length that got them the devoted fan-base that exists today. We got to see them in action on their stop to New Haven, CT at College Street Music Hall this past weekend.

There is no doubt that this tour is one of the more eclectic and engaging tour packages we’ve seen this year. Opening up the night were Minneapolis indie-rockers in Bad Bad Hats. Front-woman Kerry Alexander‘s sweet and quaint voice layered over their soft alternative instrumentals made for the perfect band to set the tone of the night. Heads were bobbing throughout their whole set and once they left the stage, I overheard someone in the crowd saying “they just found their new favorite band.”

The night shifted a little bit to the heavier side when label-mates Basement took the stage. It’s not uncommon for supporting acts to share a smaller portion of the crowd when it comes to fans that already know their music, but it seems that Basement had already made their mark with this audience. By the time they began playing “Bad Apple” off of their highly acclaimed record colourmeinkindness, the sea of fans was swaying back and forth and ecstatic. They closed out with one of their most popular songs “Covet”, and the majority of the crowd was singing along at the top of their lungs, carrying over crowdsurfers nonstop.

It’d been several years since I last saw The Front Bottoms live, and it was actually at Toad’s Place down the street. To see them headline and pack out a venue more than twice the size was ultimately fulfilling on its own. The band came out to a simplistic production, with two projector screens on either side of the stage reeling out an ocean side scene, and broke into “You Used To Say”. Naturally, every single person in the venue was yelling out the chorus, prompting Sella to step away from the mic and let the audience’s voices bellow out.

This trade off between Sella and the fans occurred during almost every song, especially for cult-favorites like “Twin Sized Mattress”, “Maps”, and “Cough It Out”. This show was hands-down one of the most energetic shows I have been to all year, which is expected from a band that consistently puts out such emotionally-charged and upbeat music. With The Front Bottoms’ U.S. tour still being in its beginning stages, there are plenty of chances left to hear their newest tracks live and see what their on-going hype is all about.

Remaining Tour Dates:

10/31 – Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
11/01 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
11/03 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
11/04 – Neptune Theatre – Seattle, WA
11/06 – Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
11/07 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
11/10 – House of Blues – San Diego, CA
11/11 – Brooklyn Bowl – Las Vegas, NV
11/12 – The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ
11/14 – House Of Blues – Houston, TX
11/15 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX
11/16 – Emo’s – Austin, TX
11/18 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
11/19 – House Of Blues – Orlando, FL
11/21 – The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC
11/22 – The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA
11/24 – The Fillmore – Silver Spring, MD
11/25 – Terminal 5 – New York, NY