It was everything that you would want from a good punk show: mosh pits, sweat, shirtless dudes and beer-spitting lead singers. FIDLAR and the Orwells performed their loud and proud set at the Larimer Lounge on Thursday night to an equally loud and proud audience.
The small venue, located near Coors Field in Denver was full of outlandish but generally cool folks, many clad in worn denim full of their collected pins. A man with a broken arm and fresh cast even hopped atop everyone and crowd-surfed for a bit (among the many others who also crowd-surfed), boys had to stand in front of their chicks and push back the onslaught of the mosh pit and one girl even received some bandages from her friend after sustaining a few battle wounds from the old staples she was pushed against on the wall. It was not a show for the weak at heart; it was a show for the true garage-punk lovers—and a great show at that.
Opening was the Orwells, a crew of five Chicago boys fresh out of high-school with X’s still on their hands who can throw down as if they have been doing it for the last ten years. The demeanor of their lead singer, Dario Cuomo, evoked the rock legends of old with his shoulder-length blonde hair frequently hung over his face coupled with his nonchalant attitude that would quickly 360 into in-your-face energy while onstage.
FIDLAR, formed in Los Angeles, describes themselves as a “surf-punk stoner-rock band,” and indeed fit well into that genre. Elvis Kuehn, on guitar and vocals, and Max Kuehn on the drums, are brothers and the sons of Greg Kuehn, keyboardist for Long Beach punk legends T.S.O.L. Zac Carper, also on vocals and guitar, is the son of famed surfboard designer John Carper. Including their bassist Brandon Schwartzel, the four have been performing together as FIDLAR since 2009.
As the headliners, FIDLAR, whose name reportedly stands for “F**k it dawg, life’s a risk,” performed many of their top hits such as “Awkward” to a crowd thirsty for loud riffs and generally raucous behavior. Schwartzel donned his usual fisherman’s hat and stood atop of the speakers beckoning the crowd for more ardor. FIDLAR’s music was a raw blend of melody and high-energy put into a set that even Joey Ramone would be proud of. In contrast to that, it seemed as though the Orwells were able to maintain the audiences’ attention more so than the headliners were, as some crowd members began to wander away to smoke on the patio or grab a new drink.
The band even joked by saying, “This is our last song”, before every song they played. Although the set was relatively short, the immense vigor with which it was performed made up for its length. The audience left Larimer Lounge uttering their positive impressions of the show.
