Call them hometown heroes, call them veterans of the scene: Giants and Toys are guaranteed to pack Eclipse to capacity when they play. From regular show-goers, to sorority women and townies, the merry band of Lambda Chis seems to bring the entire town together. Tuscaloosa rockers Looksy opened for them once again and brought along another T-town band by the name of The Golden Monica.
THE GOLDEN MONICA:
Thing that shocked me:
Eclipse bands normally use tiny amps and beat up guitars. The Golden Monica, however, used the most professional equipment I’ve ever seen at an Eclipse show. Large amps that rivaled the height of the band members and sturdy microphone stands were used to belt out their takes on the best sounds of ‘70’s rock n’ roll.
Sounded like:
Young dudes whose father’s fed them classic rock radio for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They also have a reverence for the glory days depicted in “That ‘70’s Show.”
Choice lyric:
“I’m always wasted/I like to have fun”
From the above caption, you’ll never guess what their EP is called…
“The Can of Beer” EP
LOOKSY:
What one should know right off the bat:
These guys are phenomenal.
It’s super scary when:
Frontman Daniel Ingram creates super thick riffage with his guitar, and seems to almost want to throw himself into the floor with his furious strumming.
Sound like:
An alternate persona of Kings of Leon that have seen some s***.
Best way to describe drummer John Laing’s face while smacking his skins:
The strained, open mouthed grimace early caveman cast on their prey before clubbing them to death.
But seriously….
He is an amazing drummer. His fills, tumbles and back beats colored his group’s music with a frenetic intensity most professional groups would kill to have.
Looksy’s personal recommendation for your next dining option at Eclipse:
“This place is great. That cheese steak was f***** dank too. ”
How Looksy positively stole the show:
They played a modern, rocked out cover of The Beatles’ “Get Back.” Enough said.
GIANTS AND TOYS:
FINALLY PLAYED NEW MATERIAL:
Man was it KILLER. As the crowd swelled further into the tiny performance space, it was akin to watching your favorite band premiere a new music video on MTV. While that never really happens anymore, it was still a special moment and hands down the highlight of their set.
What’s obvious:
Giants & Toys have been at this for awhile. As the members switched instruments between songs, they would continue to play interlude music so as to avoid any silence. However, this professionalism seemed to weigh down on them. With all their equipment surrounding them, the five members seemed awfully cramped.
This sadly took its toll on their performance:
A broken string, occasionally cracking voices and other technical difficulties whittled the band down more and more. Normal standouts like “Blue Cars” and “Disco (Only Love)” lacked the passion and furious interplay featured on normal nights.
Overall, Looksy blew the audience away with their tough as nails take on blues rock. Giants and Toys seemed to buckle after their furious performance of a new song. While the Montevallo greats are still great, the life of an up and coming musical group continues to weigh upon them.
