Child Bite hails from the Detroit metro area and their almost European animalistic persona is a testament to their upbringing amidst the scrap heaps of mechanical reproduction. Sure, they implored a circuit bending joystick to accompany lead guitar, and yes, their lead singer slightly reminded me of Serj Tankian from System of a Down, but their belts and drive are distinctly Midwestern. As a whole, the band sported above average facial hair, apparently due to their recent participation in an Alaskan beard contest. Patterns failed to emerge as their unhinged rock tore through the Doug Fir. My cell phone was not on vibrate but I doubt I would have heard it ring, or cared if it did.
The Hugs are some young guns hired by the music god to lay waste to tired openers and fogies alike. Great presence and digestible enough that I was thoroughly engaged but not to the point that I later questioned my pop motives. And well… We’re From Japan. Impose may hire these guys as doppelgangers for they could very well be the ying to our yang seeing as they sport the least imposing faces in one of the least imposing genres in all contemporary music… post-rock. I couldn’t help feeling a bit like I was watching Blade Runner. Is this the future? The lyric-less ambiguity and supple soundscape left me wondering how replicants and humans differ.
