REVIEW: Kurt Vile (w/ The Violators)

Something Something’s Official Gig Review Checklist

Here at Something Something, we feel that gig reviews tend to ignore the basics, bag on the hard working musicians, and leave little room for the next artists to improve their events, at the end of the day sometimes you just want to know if there is good selfie lighting. However we’ve constructed a Gig Review Checklist through the lens of a more industry perspective.

American Indie artist Kurt Vile (w/ The Violators) brought their live act to the Hunter Lounge on Saturday evening, here’s how we felt the gig went!

We’ve scored them out of one to five SOMETHINGS in each of our crucial gig requirements: 

(1 being ‘not your best’, 5 being ‘wow amazing!’)

Promotions: 4 SOMETHINGS. Clearly this was a gig aimed at an older demographic, and they succeeded in bringing some good numbers, so it was a success on the promoter’s behalf!

Turnout: 4 SOMETHINGS, definitely more people than I had anticipated, which was nice to see rather than a half empty venue.

Atmosphere: 4 SOMETHINGS. On the whole, everyone was super relaxed and had a slow groove going on, which definitely suits Kurt Vile’s style. Maybe would’ve been nice to see a few younger faces, but maybe that’s getting a bit picky.

Venue: 1 SOMETHINGS. The layout just does not work. If you’re not at least 5’10, there’s no hope for you. In fact, I actually had a far better view of the stage from outside the front door, which if you’re spending $70 on a ticket, is naturally quite frustrating. Really good to see a full venue, but that said, I was abused more times than I could count on one hand for trying to get through the crowd to the toilet or the bar - both of which I only attempted once. I’ve never been abused for attempting to do something that is essentially a human right.

Sound: 4 SOMETHINGS. Maaaaybe too much reverb, which definitely showed in some songs as they sounded a bit on sloppy side. But really, who’s complaining – that’s kind of his sound, and he can definitely get away with it!

Price: 2 SOMETHINGS. I was initially going to give this section a 3, however, the more you think about a $70 loss, the more it hurts. The only thing that saved this from being a 1 was probably the music itself.

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