INTO IT. OVER IT. is the solo project of Illinois musician, Evan Thomas Weiss, and tonight Evan brings a level of pop punk that provides the fuel for one of the most lively shows, Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar has ever seen. This evening was one of sweat, emotional lyrics and a tale of the growth of a musical maestro.
Tonight’s support comes from Tancred, whilst Evan is the bassist of the band, it is very much vocalist Jess Abbot who holds the entirety of the spotlight. Tancred bring all that is perfect about modern American punk rock to the table. Jess’ vocals enforce a sense of darkness yet meet the ear soothingly and supply an edge which sets apart Tancred from every generic garage band. Opening with ‘Bed Case’ from the band’s newest release Out Of The Garden, the response from tonight’s crowd is already phenomenal, multiple attendees are already screaming the lyrics and head banging all over the place. Tancred’s short set includes not only a nice platter of their own material, but the feature of Sheryl Crow’s ‘If It Makes You Happy’ which holds a particular highlight for the evening. The song suits Jess’ vocals sublimely as each vocal strain is delivered with such a passion that the lyrics cut deeply. Tancred may not have been tonight’s headliner, but they certainly deserve an extremely honourable mention as this band certainly have the capacity to reach incredible heights.
As Sticky Mike’s continues to reach tonight’s capacity, if you thought Tancred’s performance was one of high energy, it may be best to exit the building. From the immediate offset Evan enters the stage and becomes an instant eye catcher. He bounces. He thrashes. He flings his guitar everywhere the eyes can see. There is no doubt this man is a born performer and was made to be in the spotlight. Opening with ‘Midnight: Carroll Street’ the crowd are greeted with the American tones and pop punk cliche in the best way possible. The entirety of the audience has already become a chanting mess of sweat and eagerness which, as the bouncy chorus kicks in, the entire room, even those with drinks, are more than happy to bounce around, before the song is followed by a roar of acclamation.
Evan greets the audience with a simple “Yo, Brighton is hype!” and tells us how tonight’s crowd seems more responsive than all of the previous dates on the band’s European tour combined. Progressing into ‘No EQ’ from the band’s newest album, Standards, a different tone to the set is emphasised, the number is more toned down, with stress on Evan harsher, strained vocals leave more of an emotional tug on the heart strings.
Evan soon tells us how last time the band were in Brighton they played an upstairs coffee shop during The Great Escape Festival in 2010 to just six people and thought it was insane to see how much they have grown over the six years, a definite moment of proudness for any INTO IT fan to hear. Evan has over six albums and an array of EP’s to choose material from and tonight takes an incredibly wide scope of styles throughout the band’s history. Evan’s high and longer notes in particular hold a sense of uniqueness to them, older tracks such as ‘Pilsen’ show his vocal variation to an incredibly satisfying standard which is only emphasised when the crowd are more than eager to help out, creating a room of melodious community that is really heartwarming to see.
Both INTO IT. OVER IT. and Tancred are definitely bands who should be known to any garage punk lover. Both bring a show which will certainly fill your needs of songs about breakups, friendship, escaping your hometown and almost every need in between. The next time Evan decides to tour the UK, whichever band he comes along with, you are in for one hell of a show and if it is like anything Sticky Mike’s has seen tonight, expect a well-needed shower when you get home!
Ben Walker
Website: intoitoverit.com
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