By Nick DiNatale and Lena Mirisola
Staff Writers
On Saturday, January 30th, The Venetia Fair’s headlining tour made its second stop at Rocko’s in Manchester, New Hampshire. Rocko’s happened to be the second of the two stops for the tour’s kickoff events. Before coming to a close, the tour is scheduled to make its way from New Hampshire, down the eastern seaboard and into the Midwestern states. Accompanying The Venetia Fair were fellow tour members Kiss Kiss, along with limited tour members, Trophy Scars. In addition, The Beauty In Isolation landed a set for the show at Rocko’s. With a variety of styles, the show was set to be appealing to many.
Westford’s own band, The Beauty In Isolation is a post-hardcore band based in Westford, Massachusetts. They were by far the youngest of the bands to hit the stage at Rocko’s, and maintained a formidable sound compared to the other, more experienced bands. The band played a solid three-song set, which featured their songs “Sympathy for Another’s Suffering”, “Astacia” and “If You Thought You Did This Wrong, You Couldn’t Have Been More Right”.
This was their second show since adding sophomores Pablo Martinez on drums and Sal Restuccia on bass while moving junior John Oliver to rhythm guitar. In the midst of the lineup shuffle, juniors Pat Hunt and Tommy Pontes kept their old positions as screamer and lead guitarist/clean vocalist, respectively. They played a successful set, musically, with a decent amount of stage presence. However, since the show, Pat and the band have parted ways, leaving the band without a permanent screaming vocalist. They are currently searching for a replacement.
Kiss Kiss is an experimental indie band that comes from New York. To date, the five-piece band has released two full albums and a self-titled EP. They are currently playing in support of their newest album, “The Meek Shall Inherit What’s Left”, which was released during the summer of 2009. Their set consisted of approximately six songs, including their fast paced song “All The Draw” and their song “Machines”. Their set featured dramatic vocals and ripping violin parts that cut through the rest of the music and provided the band their own, unique style.
Trophy Scars is an older, six-piece alternative/indie rock band based out of New Jersey. As of now, they have released four full albums. The most recently of those is entitled “Bad Luck”, which was released in early 2009. With a sound that is slightly reminiscent of fellow alternative rock band, Brand New (only with slightly more gruff vocals), Trophy Scars plays very well organized music. Their set at Rocko’s was in no way an exception. They put on a convincing musical performance and overall enjoyable set, before giving up the stage to The Venetia Fair.
The headlining band, The Venetia Fair is best described as an experimental/alternative rock band with a style of their own. They are a young band, with none of their members exceeding their early twenties. Their proficient use of screams, keyboard, and inventive riffs in their songs put them in their own unique category of music. The band formed in Boston and at the moment, they are playing songs from their debut album, “The Circus” which was released during the summer of 2009.
Despite the aforementioned, very praiseworthy acts, The Venetia Fair’s set was by far the most powerful act of the night. From the beginning to the conclusion of their set, their energy level was at top notch. They spent every song writhing around on the stage, providing an incredible amount of energy. Above all, they played an incredible set, music wise. It was slightly longer than those of Kiss Kiss and Trophy Scars, and the band was certainly noticed on stage for every second they were there.The set consisted of the band playing through the majority of their album, including their song “The Ringleader”, which they recently released a music video for.
The Venetia Fair is a great band to see live and they definitely implement a worthwhile, well thought out performance. Once their tour with Kiss Kiss comes to an end, the band is immediately picking up where they
left off with a tour that features themselves, along with The Queen Killing Kings. This tour will take place throughout the Southern and midwestern portions of the country. The Venetia Fair is also scheduled to play the Bamboozle for both the California and New Jersey dates, which is a very big show for their reputation.
All in all, the show was very worthwhile to attend and provided a great musical and photographic experience. The bands showcased a level of energy that made photographing, listening, and simply being around them enjoyable. The small venue is ideal for photographing and being able to see great bands play, while being up close to them. If the chance arises, shows at Rocko’s are highly recommended.
Note from the authors: We will be photographing and reviewing many concerts within the approaching months. These include shows in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York, with venues such as The Palladium and The Studio at Webster Hall. Some of the many artists at these shows are Breathe Carolina, Confide, I See Stars, Stephen Jerzak, Stereo Skyline and VersaEmerge. We will have new material posted soon. If you would like to see updates of our shows planned, or see additional photos, visit our Flickr or blog.
