In the midst of one of the most difficult years in recent history, Mercury Lounge took a break from the chaos that has been 2016, and was treated to pure unadulterated Fun Rock.
Sonnder, hailing from Philadelphia, opened the late set. Lead singer and guitarist Ryan Weidman’s voice rang out from behind a curtain of blonde hair that brought back memories of Kurt Cobain. His melodies were reminiscent of Radiohead, and complimented by Kat Stein on the keys, which gave each song a brilliant bite. Sonnder also features Steve Iannettoni on bass and Mike Lizka on drums.
At the stroke of midnight, a storm blew into Mercury Lounge from Atlanta, Georgia, and that storm was Baby Baby; the fury of Bad Brains, the sex appeal of Michael Jackson, and the non-stop party attitude of Andrew WK are all brought together by this band.
Frontman Fontez Brooks has vigor and charisma that cannot be matched. Throughout the night he maintained a firm grip on the crowd, leading chants and utilizing every inch of space on stage.
Grant Wallace and Colin Boddy fueled Brooks’s fire with heart throbbing beats in drums and percussion (respectively), and Hsiang-Ming Wen rocked a nasty bass.
In dark times like these, bands like Baby Baby are an important reminder to let loose and enjoy being alive. It’s okay (and necessary) to be angry, speak out, and be sad. With all of this in mind, if we forget to party, the bad guys win.
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