I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: July 28, 2023] Chase Petra

I wasn’t sure if I was going to make the show this evening.  Things were confusing at my house, but got straightened out enough that I wound up leaving almost an hour after I would normally have.

I assumed I’d missed Chase Petra.  It was stupidly hot in The Ukie Club and the band on stage was setting up at roughly 8:40.  I guessed it was Sydney Sprague, but when someone on stage shouted for help with Syndey’s amp, I realized that this was Chase Petra.

And I thought, jeez, I’m glad I didn’t arrive on time if they’re just going on now.

But it turned out there was a secret guest who started the show.  New Jersey’s Sweet Pill, who I could have seen at a Front Bottoms festival, but have now missed twice (and whose album is very good).

A few minutes later, amid loud (and accurate) grumbling about how hot it was, Chase Petra took the stage.

I can’t find out exactly who is in the band with singer Hunter Allen.  Although I have learned that their wicked lead guitarist is Genevieve Quiquivix.  They played a short set, but it set the mood perfectly and there may have been as many fans there for Chase Petra as for Pool Kids.

They opened with th enew song “Reliable Narrator,” a solid rocker with a great chorus.  And that’s when I saw that Quiquivix played some great riffs and even put some cool finger tappings between lines of  the verses–awesome

My favorite song by them was “Josslyn,” a lurching stomper–super fun and danceable.  The song doesn’t sound anything at all like The Decemberists, but there was something about the lyrical delivery (almost storytellery) that reminded me of them.

Lead singer Hunter Allen’s vocals are fantastic.  Loud and powerful with some great subtleties–she puts a lot of emotion into her delivery.

She was also really fun.  She told us all that she had a special guest in the back of the room, named after their next song — “Keanu Reeves” was in the back!  “Ha, how many of you looked?  I’m a liar, sorry.”

The songs, like “Nature vs. Nurture” are fairly simple, but Allen’s vocal delivery adds a lot of diversity to the melodies–she sings in a lot of different styles.  It’s pretty great.  “Pacific” has some cool parts where the music quiets down but Allen’s vocals grow louder.

They played their brand new single “Soapy Water” which shows a great direction forward.  And they ended with a song that’s quiet on record but which was nice and singalong-worthy live.

I had listened to their music online before the show, but I was blown away by their live set.  And their fans were plentiful.

I loved their merch, like this bumper sticker: If you see me crying in the front seat of this car no you don’t –chase petra

SETLIST

1. Reliable Narrator ⊂
2. Josslyn Ø
3. Keanu Reeves Ø
4. Nature vs. Nurture Ø
5. Pacific Ø
6. Soapy Water ⊂
7. Prologue £

⊂ single (2023)
Ø 4 o’clock in the afternoon (2022)
£ Liminal (2019)