The Ikon
The Surf Talks
World Wide Epiphany
The Catalyst NightClub / Restaurant looked very run-down from the outside and I think there were only about two tables being used in the restaurant part! When I walked into the nightclub itself (which was surprisingly large) I remarked on how empty it was (maybe 200-250 people) but what they lacked in quantity the people of Santa Cruz made up for in enthusiasm!
The opening act was a guy in a cardigan, playing a yuekale (I think) singing amusing ditties but unfortunately with that sound system, they were hard to hear.
Todd, Kasim and Trey came on at 9.45 and played until 11.25 including two encores! The backdrop was a large picture of Todd and the lighting show was minimal which was good or it would have taken the edge away from the gritty music.
They started with Todd's new song "I hate My Freakin' ISP" which I'd heard mixed reviews about but I thoroughly liked! As it wasn't shown in UK, I didn't see the band perform it on the Late Late Show (a performance that received a lot of negative reviews) but, although I'm no music expert, tonight's version sounded great to me.
Several of the songs (Fix Your Gaze, Black and White, World Wide Ephinany, The Surf Talks etc) were ones that they sang on the Half Twisted tour last year but another welcome return (for me!) was Trapped as it meant that Kasim got the spotlight for a while! Near the end, there was also a "musical interlude" where they played one tune (that I didn't recognise) and Todd let Kasim and then Trey showcase their talents in the spotlight (as he used to with John and Jessie last year) - there aren't many performers who let a band do that. I know I'm biast but I was very impressed with Kasim's bass playing!
There were two false starts to songs so they re-started to play them properly and at one stage Kasim and Trey went off stage while Todd played an acoustic guitar and sung by himself. Other than for this one song, Todd switched between just two guitars, as did Kasim (who was wearing all black tonight).
The band all seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, certainly Kasim kept smiling, laughing and moving all around the stage.
Apart from wishing that the vocals were slightly louder above the instruments, it was a great start to the tour!
