Sick of Sarah: Bars Full of New Friends

Sick of Sarah w/ The TenFiveSixty, A Clockwork Tragedy, and Amsterdam
Funhouse Lounge @ El Corazon, Seattle, WA
05.07.15

They opened their set by requesting that the sound guy remove his pants, and then Sick of Sarah broke into the party starting track “One Night Stand” from their five-year-old full length 2205. It didn’t take long for front woman Abisha Uhl to jump off the stage and wander the crowd, the first of several times throughout the night. Clad in a “boy problems” muscle tank under layers of leather, Uhl is a charismatic leader on stage, while guitarists Jessie Framer and Katie Murphy, drummer Jessica Forsythe, and touring bassist Alexa Wolfe served up SOS’s signature pop-punk sound.

Pending the expected June release of their long-time-coming EP Anthem, Sick of Sarah played all six tracks from the new album. Anthem has a bit more rock and roll, a bit more innovation than previous releases, as it’s their first real “indie” release after years with a label. But SOS is definitely staying true to themselves, maintaining a passionate live performance, fantastic musicianship and dedicated fans. So dedicated that there was even a lesbian marriage proposal on stage during the set, by fans that had seen Sick of Sarah together years ago.

Being the headliner for a four-band lineup, Sick of Sarah closed out the night on a high note with their practiced sound and relevant lyricism, full of compelling four-person harmonies and driving guitars. They even covered the 90’s Poe classic “Angry Johnny” before Uhl jumped into the audience a final time for the track “Kick Back,” letting the crowd join her singing into the mic.

There were three openers for the show including London three-piece The TenFiveSixty, whose dark, enigmatic electro-pop is genuinely worth another listen, locals A Clockwork Tragedy who after being plagued by some tech issues, got their aggressive instrumentals on point, and Seattle five-piece Amsterdam, with a very 90’s alt-rock feel and a fantastic cover of Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.”

Pre-order Anthem or find a show near you here.

Sick of Sarah Set List
One Night Stand
Autograph
Stereo
Blind
Bittersweet
Everything’s Beautiful
Rooftops
Overexposure
Contagious
El Paso Blue
Bars Full of Strangers
Angry Johnny (Poe Cover)
Kick Back
Not Listening

Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini

Sick of Sarah