MonsterWatch w/ Gibraltar, The Western Red Penguins & Asterhouse
High Dive, Seattle, WA
10.21.16
Zombie twerking is a term I’ve coined for what the crowd does at a MonsterWatch show. Like downer demons possessed, clad in a variety of band t-shirts, thrift store duds, and a plethora of Chuck Taylors, fans and friends of the up-and-coming Seattle groove-punk band gathered at The High Dive for a late night gig. A gig that would involve rat-head masks, jumping off amps, and incredulous moves.
The night’s four-band lineup kicked off with Asterhouse, a genre-mixing but classic rock-leaning three-piece from Kenmore, WA. They debuted a softer ballad on acoustic guitar that was a fresh turn for the group, proving they’ve got tricks up their sleeves. But the hightlights are still in their bombastic energy. They’re coming into their own at a fiery rate and are definitely a band to watch.
The Western Red Penguins were up next, a four-piece that got people dancing. They set a nice groove, and carried some impressive vocal harmonies while rocking a mixed bag of jazz/punk/garage/surf. Strong bass lines and intriguing instrumentation – hard to tell where some of those notes were even coming from – were aplenty.
In a sea of fog, Seattle’s Gibraltar delivered heavy power-pop with plenty of chemistry. The current lineup works well together. Their driving hooks and surprisingly explosive keys are an electric and anthemic platform for powerful vocal craft. They had fun delving into a new track the night before they head into the studio to record, and handed over a passionate cover of The Smiths’ “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want.”
By the time MonsterWatch hit the stage, the crowd was primed for a party, and the band made sure to come through. But this isn’t happy-go-lucky dancing music. Their set goes from thrashing to downer punk in a heartbeat. Their bass is heavy, their grooves short and stormy. Lead guitarist/vocalist John Spinney went out in the crowd more times than I could count, face-to-face with the fans, or writhing at their feet.
“Has anyone ever heard of a band called 999?” Asked Spinney, part way through their set. “No? Well we’re going to play a cover of one of their songs.” And they did, the English punk band’s “Inside Out.” MW kept the crowd moving throughout their set, hardcore thrashing, mind you, but this is where that “zombie twerking” comes in. Their aggressively rhythmic sound just makes you want to move. At the end of their set, they gave the crowd one last song and closed it down with style.
Catch them for some pre-Halloween madness October 30 at The Sunset with Psychic Death and Society Girls.
Monsterwatch Set List
Animal Cookies
SLOB
S.R.O.
Inside Out (999 cover)
I Don’t Get It
Lost My Car
Two-Time
Big Sin
Outro
Review and photos by Stephanie Dore
Monsterwatch
Gibraltar
The Western Red Penguins
Asterhouse
