Show Review: The Orwells

The line to enter The Regent stretched as far as the eye could see, and the bright orange zebra printed press wristband matched my tank top. A smashing prelude to a long night of thrills.

The first act of the night was No Parents, a local LA punk band that was accessible and fun. I definitely went through my hardcore phase in eighth grade but haven’t dabbled seriously in punk since then. No Parents was a great band to re-acclimate me to the genre. The lead singer, Zoe Reign, was especially magnetic, he was like Gerard Way and Jack Black’s lovechild and I was all about it. His dance moves were fabulous and only enhanced by his floor length black skirt that he would hike up and twirl on occasion. Highlights were definitely “Best Song We Never Wrote” which came across as a frustrated high school garage band anthem in the best way, and “Die Hippy Die” which closed their set and drove the crowd bananas.

Then The Walters took the stage, and my word, did they take it. Really, it was just the lead singer Luke Olson who seemed especially starved for attention. He spent as much time showing off his extraordinarily veiny arms and perky ass as he did actually singing. At one point he stood on the barricades as a horde of horny fangirls rubbed their face on him, leaving a telltale smudge of foundation on the crotch of his blue work pants. While he was fairly intolerable, the rest of the band members were great, the lead guitarist, Walter Kosner, had a phenom solo in their hit “I Love You So,” and the rhythm guitarist and vocalist MJ Tirabassi was also able to sing a few numbers which was a relief.

Finally, The Orwells appeared and the crowd immediately went nuts, sweaty teens catapulting themselves over the barricades to get closer to frontman Mario Cuomo. Cuomo’s was a force in a white tank top and long scraggly black hair. He commanded the stage with his rough and rolling voice singing “I’m a holy man!” during their opening number, “Black Francis.” His presence was incredible, especially when compared with the other members, who seemed to defer to him, often turning their backs to the audience or looking to the ground. At 23, Cuomo is one of the older members of the Chicago-based band, which started as a project among family friends in high school in 2009. They are all still pretty young considering the amount of fame they’ve garnered after being discovered by a music blogger in 2011.  

After a jaunt in the mosh, it was time for pizza. Prufrock’s Pizza which is located inside the Regent was a much-needed carb fiesta after the heat and noise of the concert. I was really impressed by the spiciness of the pepperoni pizza and the fancy spa water that they offered for free. The concert itself was a wild three act circus, which I thoroughly enjoyed, almost as much as the delicious cheesy nightcap.

VIRGINIA BULLINGTON, DJ
MAN PAIN!, MONDAYS 4:10-5 P.M.

PHOTO BY BLARE MAGAZINE