Shoegaze Explosion @ Club Congress (GLARE, GLIXEN, MX LONELY, COMMONER) 10/15/24

Show Lineup: Commoner, MxLonely, Glixen, Glare

Genre(s): Shoegaze, Rock, Noise Rock, Dream Pop

Venue: Club Congress

Date: 10/16/24

Description: 

As I rushed into the crowded venue, I heard rock music emanating from the walls and speakers of the venue. The venue, Club Congress, is quickly becoming my favorite in Tucson. It's just big enough to feel like a real crowd while still keeping an intimate feel (I mean, how often nowadays is there not a barricade to the stage? I enjoy that the artists are literally right there in front of you at Club Congress). The crowd poised to hear some Shoegaze, I watched as Commoner played the last few minutes of their set. I had seen them before, opening for Hotline TNT and some other local bands. I like their vibe whenever I get to see them, kinda doing a little bit more of an alt-ish rock thing compared to the other bands on the bill. If you enjoy a tiny bit of metal in your music (or just like, Deftones), check em out. Really really neat band! I was very impressed with how quickly the bands were able to transition from set to set (about 10-15 minutes), as at a larger venue this process often takes up to an hour. Next up was MX LONELY on tour from New York, with a neat band dynamic and dual vocalist/keyboard player. I thought their whole deal was pretty neat, and would love for them to come back! I believe(?) they just played this show because of the overlap in their touring schedule with Glare, which was lucky for me because I really liked them!

(MX LONELY)

Their guitarist was also really talented, and I liked his vocals on some of the earliest songs. Their lead singer crowdsurfed on one of the last numbers, which was the first high energy moment in a crowd filled with slackers who seemed to want to do nothing but stand there. (Also, one of the first shows I've genuinely felt old at, as it seemed like I was surrounding by young teenagers). Overall, would recommend you check out MX LONELY, as they've got new material that just came out! Next up was Glixen, a local Arizona band!

Actually, to call them local is an understatement. I've heard people talk about them for about a year after watching them open for a show I didn't go to. I've heard they're the best Arizona based shoegaze band, etc. etc. Seeing them live really just confirmed this, I really thought they were incredible. Their lead singer's attitude was iconic, and the band showed up dressed to the nines. I thought they were really great. Their drummer seemed really locked in. Next up was the headliner, Glare!

I was completely blown away by Glare. I actually had plans to cover them for SXSW last spring, but the plans fell through :( I wish I could have seen them the 9+ times that SXSW would have let me see them, because this show was absolutely killer. First off, I always show out for a band that has three guitarists on stage. They opened with Void in Blue, which has been going a little bit viral as of recent! They also played Blank and Into Me, two of my favorites from their early releases. Their guitarist's tone was really awesome, you could definitely hear the lead tones crystal clear (even with my foam earplugs in!), nothing seemed to get washed out in the mix. They played one of the new singles, which was really excellent. Stay tuned at the KAMP meetings for my picks when the whole LP comes out! They closed out with a much faster and shorter song, and the audience launched into the only moshpit of the night! Overall, Glare was awesome. We actually got a note earlier in the night that the band might be a little cranky because this show was the end of their LONG tour, but I actually thought they were the exact opposite. Extremely nice, very energetic, and really happy to talk to their fans! They signed some stuff, sold some merch, and said peace out for the night! Very very kind people. I really thought the whole lineup was great, nobody overstayed their welcome and got through most of their sets with great pacing! I can't say the same for every show I've seen in Tucson. I'm always happy when I can get out of an excellent show by 9:30 and have the rest of my night to myself. Overall, extremely happy to have had this opportunity, and I look forward to covering more shows in the future! Thanks for reading, go see a show! :)

Reviewer Name: Micah Dalton

Date of Review: 10/16/24