Emo-punk quartet You Blew It! and midwest emo up-and-comers Tiny Moving Parts played a high-octane, ear splitting set at DC9 on Feb. 23. A sizable, energetic crowd packed into DC9’s upstairs stage despite temperatures below 20 degrees. Emo-punk outfit Rozwell Kid performed an early set, followed by Tiny Moving Parts and then You Blew It!
Tiny Moving Parts opened their set with a literal bang and exploded onto the stage with back-to-back favorites “Always Focused” and “Clouds Above My Head.” Only four months after performing an opening set at DC9 for indie-emo duo Dads in October, the Minnesota natives returned to D.C. in even better condition. Dylan Mattheisen once again led the charging set with top-of-his-lungs vocals, jumping around the crowded stage and jaw-dropping guitar riffs - usually at the same time.
Noticeably, more present basslines from Matt Chevalier locked in with his brother William’s racing drums, making for a thunderous wall of sound that shook the room from floor to ceiling. Set highlights included bombastic performances of crowd favorites, “Vacation Bible School,” “Fair Trade” and “Dakota.”
After a brief interlude to set up their equipment, Orlando, Florida based band You Blew It! began tuning their instruments and talking casually with audience members pressed up against the stage. The densely packed crowd began cheering and clapping as the band finished their set and shouted in approval as the set began with ribcage-rattling performances of “Pinball House” and “Match & Tinder.”
There’s a big difference between playing loud and playing hard, but You Blew It! proved capable of doing both in punk-rock style. Between energetic performances of both new and old material, the band’s down-to-earth, do-it-yourself attitude shone through with good-natured jokes and storytelling.
“This is already shaping up to be way, way better than our last show here in D.C.,” vocalist and guitarist Tanner Jones said. “We played here maybe five years ago, or we tried to anyway, and it ended up being this weird acoustic set for like, four people. And we didn’t get paid. So seriously, thank you all so much for coming out, this is way cooler.”
The crowd’s laughter quickly turned to roars of approval as the band launched into the popular track “Award of the Year Award.” Other set highlights included new tracks like “Lanai,” Jones’ self-proclaimed favorite song of the set and old favorite “Medal of Honor.” All four members of You Blew It! delivered excellent performances, but lead guitarist Andy Anaya’s showcased some seriously impressive chops, moving between crushing, distorted choruses and piercing hi-gain solos with ease. The set closed with an impromptu encore, and Jones performed “The Fifties,” off You Blew It!’s 2012 album, “Grow Up, Dude.”
The crowd kept quiet while Jones sang and strummed but exploded into cheers and applause the moment the last note rang out. The evening ended with plenty of high fives, mingling and a good-natured reception from the crowd, who made sure You Blew It! knew they’re always welcome back to D.C.
