Coming down from the high of releasing an album less than 12 hours before its D.C. show, Reptar lit up U Street Music Hall on April 2.
Fellow Atlanta natives Breathers started the night early on with a synth-heavy setlist, followed quickly by Baltimore outfit Sun Club. Sun Club proved to be an impressive surprise. A little pop-punk and a little singer-songwriter, it knew its way around a stage and easily grabbed the audience’s attention with spontaneous and fun energy. Its EP “Dad Claps at the Mom Prom” is definitely worth a listen.
Reptar’s show was just as chaotic and quirky as promised. Starting the set with old favorites like “Rainbounce,” it quickly got the crowd singing and dancing. The band also played several new tracks from its recent album “Lurid Glow,” which was released on April 2. New favorites included “Ice Black Sand” and “Cable.”
The heavy bass and strong electronic undertones created the perfect environment for impromptu mosh pits and a case of crowd surfing encouraged by Graham Ulicny, vocals and guitar. Ulicny got off the stage and sang with audience members twice, making the show feel all the more intimate.
While Ulicny frequented the crowd, William Kennedy shredded the keyboard and highlighted the vocal range and capabilities of the band. The live brass and woodwinds added an entire other dimension to the already layered and complicated sets that Reptar seems to have mastered.
Reptar gave its all on stage and their fans ate it up. Drawing a young crowd, the show remained light-hearted and fun. The set was unapologetically discombobulated and a little bit insane, but concertgoers loved it. The stage presence of this Georgia squad was electric and catching, and the audience was noticeably full of smiles.
In the world of self-made music, Reptar’s rapid success is admirable. Built from the ground up and quickly gaining a following, the band has stayed humble and true to itself in a way that will only help it moving forward.
The show as a whole was unconventional and feel-good, and the small venue lent an added intimacy to the otherwise energetic setting. Reptar is anything but forgettable, and its show offered a prime example of why the young band remains steadily on the rise.
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