On Jan. 27, the Larimer Lounge filled up with baseball cap-wearing, beer-drinking enthusiasts who were ready to party on, but the party didn’t start until King Tuff walked in.
Before the raging fire that was King Tuff began, American Culture lit the fuse. Their online music sounds bubblegum surf, but their performance was entirely rock and roll. Hopping up on stage a few minutes after their set was about to start, American Culture asked for as much effect on the microphone as possible and then launched into a very solid set.
“Actual Alien,” a new song by the band, was a standout. The band definitely got the crowd moving their feet on the sticky, beer soaked floor, and their pure rock performance complemented King Tuff’s sound.
The Larimer Lounge, a short jaunt away from downtown Denver, was the perfect venue for the show.
Glittering lights barely illuminated the dim space for its resident hipsters and party boys. Cheap beer was held in every legal hand, and young, trendy adults chatted amicably among each other, ready for King Tuff.
Once it was time for the main act to hit the stage, King Tuff led the crowd into a swirling, dancing mosh pit. Clad in trucker caps and ragged denim, the longhaired band was the life of the party. And party everyone did.
The lead singer Kyle Thomas, the “King himself” according to bassist Jake “Magic Jake” Culkowski, gazed on with wild eyes as he shredded on his guitar, head banging in a contagiously energetic way. Puffs of smoke from the fog machine engulfed the crowd in an excitable haze. The crowd favorites seemed to be “Black Moon Spell” and “Eyes of the Muse,” both hits from the band’s newest album “Black Moon Spell.”
The last few songs were bursts of furious energy. Inflatable couches were brought out and tossed around as charismatic crowd members tried to surf on them, despite the low ceiling. The drummer, Garrett “Gary” Goddard, even made a quick cameo on the guitar much to the delight of his fellow band members and the crowd alike.
The band obliged when the crowd screamed and cheered for one more song, and even seemed reluctant to leave the stage because all the members were having such a great time.
Not a single moment of the show was boring; Thomas is an incredible front man with hair that looks like he just stuck his finger in an electric outlet, while Culkowski and Goddard were entirely humble and are just the kind of guys you want to kick back with after the concert is over. The band is a perfect mix of wild party people and normal, thankful guys.
Overall, both bands delivered. It’s always a chore to suffer through a bad opening group, but American Culture was not one of those bands, and is talented enough to see at its own headlining show when the time comes. King Tuff had very high expectations to meet, and exceeded them with a fiery explosion of glam rock and deliciously toe-tapping tunes.
American Culture doesn’t have any local shows planned, but keep updated on its Facebook page. King Tuff will be hitting other major U.S. cities with notable acts such as “Ex Hex” and “Father John Misty.” Until the rockers grace us again with their presence in Denver, get your fix of glam powerpop by checking out “Black Moon Spell.”
“Black Moon Spell,” King Tuff
“Actual Alien,” American Culture
