IAMDYNAMITE | Hunter Valentine | Sum 41 | The Gothic Theatre
Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 (Photo Credit: Maddie Casey)
This Saturday night Denver was taken over by Canadians as Sum 41 and friends packed the house at The Gothic Theatre. Recently acquired by AEG, this is one of The Gothic’s first shows under it’s new promoter, and by the looks of the packed room and the “SOLD OUT” signs in the box office windows, it seemed like the new partnership is suiting the venue well.
Starting off the evening was IAMDYNAMITE. A new personal favorite of mine, I was eager to watch the group live since falling in love with their full-length release SuperMegaFantastic. At the end of the night, I caught up with Drummer Chris Phillips who assured me they would be back in Denver within the next few months. For anyone curious, you can catch watch the band’s “Where Will We Go” music video. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for a post about their upcoming tour dates in the next few months, as well as a full review of their new album.
Kiyomi McClosky of Hunter Valentine (Photo Credit: Maddie Casey)
Next up was all-girl punk band Hunter Valentine. Although I’d never heard of the group before, these girls meant business and quickly went about proving themselves to the young crowd. Lead singer Kiyomi McCloskey’s raspy, deep voice is unique and fitting for the band’s punk sounds. Driving guitar, and heavy bass lines marked the band’s almost retro-punk sound. With banter reminiscent of Blink-182 and their teenager-esque inappropriate remarks, the girls rocked the stage and riled up the crowd for Sum 41.
Sum 41 (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
Just past the 11pm mark, the house lights dimmed and Sum 41 took the stage. In my mind, Sum 41 is attached to endless amounts of middle school memories, and the years when I was first falling in love with punk rock. With All Killer, No Filler releasing in 2001, and the hit-filled Chuck taking over the airwaves in 2004, Saturday night’s show was probably a welcome throwback for much of the audience like myself. The setlist for the evening was filled with favorites like “In Too Deep”, “Underclass Hero”, “Pain for Pleasure”, “Motivation”, a slew of songs off of Does This Look Infected?, as well as cult-classics like “Fat Lip” and “Some Say”. Years have gone by and both the band and their fans have grown and changed, but their heavy-hitting stage presence has stayed the same. Admittedly, I was incredibly happy by lead singer Deryck Whibley’s unique voice nearly unchanged; a welcome surprise since this was my first time seeing them perform. Saturday night’s show went off without a hitch, and was perfect for fans both new and old. There was a surprising amount of young teens in the audience; proof that angst-filled pop punk will always be perfect for young adolescence. Sum 41 released a new album, Screaming Bloody Murder, in 2011, and you can find it for free on Spotify.
Check out more photos here.
Maddie