Thursday night. Valentine's Day. In the basement of the First Unitarian Church stands everybody who would rather be seeing Cherry Glazerr than doing anything else on the most romantic night of the year. Whether it was an alternative date or a getaway from all the hype, Cherry Glazerr delivered for them with a high–octane set of punk rock that brought out the energy and passion in the audience. The California–based trio, led by singer/guitarist Clementine Creevy, has a varied discography based around glittery–grungy guitars, light synths, and heavy drums, all sugar–coated with Creevy's soprano voice. At this show at the Church, the trio managed to up its sound and give the crowd something better than dinner and a movie.
D. C. artist Sneaks opened the night, arming herself with a laptop and the occasional bass guitar for a set of minimalist rap. Cherry Glazerr followed shortly after, with Creevy's entrance garnering wild applause from the crowd. They began with the opener from their most recent album, Stuffed & Ready, called "Ohio." Already, they had begun with big sound, with bassist Devin O'Brien acting as typical bass but also carrying a lot of the grunge in the act with enough distortion to grind out higher tones as well as the lower register. Meanwhile Creevy's guitar handled rhythmic parts but also solos, getting huge reactions from the crowd with her shredding. Drummer Tabor Allen was by far the most integral to the set, maintaining a consistent level of high energy, steady beats for the crowd to get into.
Photo Credit: Sam Kesler
They followed "Ohio" with "Had Ten Dollaz," their biggest hit. The signature bassline hit like a steel coil in the basement, and Creevy's creepy falsetto rang like a chime. Combining songs off their most recent album with previous albums, including Haxel Princess (2014) and Apocalipstick (2017), ensured that the crowd was never bored. Haxel Princess's deep cut "Whites Not My Color This Evening" had heavy enough guitars to get the audience pushing to the front of the floor and dancing. Behind the band were computer generated animations that emphasized the band's electronic and surreal sounds.
Stuffed & Ready singles "Daddi" and "Wasted Nun" were two of their best performances, the former's lyrics being screamed back at the band, with one group of girls loudly proclaiming, "Where should I go Daddi, what should I say, where should I go, is it okay with you?" "Wasted Nun" showed a bit of the group's range, getting into their heavy metal edge then switching it up to a chiller, more "shoegazey" beat on the verses. For an encore, the band returned to cover LCD Soundsystem's "Time To Get Away" in a slower, more moody tone than the rest of the night. They closed out on "I Told You I'd Be With the Guys," with Creevy showing off her shredding skills one last time before exiting.
