_{By Mitch Tousley}

The crowd rolled into Velour Live Music Gallery for another week of the venue’s beloved Battle of the Bands series. This first night had a great lineup, and the night kicked off with the host, John, introducing Auhre to the stage. 

Aurhe opened the night with pop-punk riffs and passionate vocal delivery. They brought great energy with their first song. Normally bands are a little stiff during their opener, but the whole band was moving with the groove and avoiding any stiffness whatsoever. The lead singer, Ava, introduced the second song by saying, “I hope you don’t feel invisible tonight.” What followed was their catchy, riff-heavy song “Invisible.” Immediately after was a slowed down, bluesy number that left a lot of room for Ava’s continually impressive vocal chops to cut through. The next few songs covered a variety of styles – each one heavier than the last. One was a touching song that was written while attending another show at Velour. Overall, the band brought energy and had great dynamic contrast.

Up next was Parade the Bug, who were introduced by John with the fun fact that only one of the band members isn’t circumcised. It got a good laugh. It was a great intro to the goofy and unpretentious energy the band has become known for. Their set was rife with screams from every band member, regardless of if they had a microphone or not. Riff heavy and energetic, every band member was perfectly locked into the grooves of each of their lengthy prog rock songs. The crowd was with them all the way, cheering and chanting along with the band and even opening up a much-deserved circle pit during the third song, which I’d submit is the only proper way to enjoy a Parade the Bug live show. One thing that Parade the Bug does phenomenally is aesthetic unity. Every band member was present in their matching jumpsuits, and throughout the whole set, every one of them had a similar enthusiastic grin that was nothing short of infectious. 

Every single one of these guys is a virtuoso. Their keys player was playing octaves so fast you couldn’t see his hands, and their drummer navigated an equipment failure by reassembling his double kick pedal in real time with minimal impact on the show. It was great.

Following Parade the Bug’s stellar performance was Jamboree. Right out of the gate, they set themselves apart with a unique instrumental pallet, containing accordion and violin on top of a traditional rhythm section. The vocalist had a dark and distinct voice, giving their sound a welcomed spook-factor. The first song brought all the energy an opener should before transitioning seamlessly into their second song, which felt like a parlor song time traveled to 2023. Their third song, a waltz, was an excellent ballad that sounded like if the Dracula puppet musical Jason Segel does in Forgetting Sarah Marshall was actually really cool and engaging (I mean that in the sincerest, most complimentary terms. It’s more like this touching moment from the film). After this powerful number, the crowd was rhythmically chanting “Jamboree! Jamboree!”, which prompted the vocalist to tell the crowd to shut up. Done right, this could’ve been pretty funny, but it came out pretty off-putting. Before getting into the last song, the vocalist introduced his bandmates, or “characters” as he referred to them. Their final song was powerful, filled with explosive drum fills. The song also featured washed out guitar arpeggios, accordion pads, and ended with a huge, fuzzy guitar solo. They concluded by leaving the stage with guitar feedback running through the amp and the accordion player doing a backflip. It was wild.

The final performers of the night were the Mellons. If the winner was decided off of vibes and seasonal appropriateness alone, the Mellons would’ve taken home the prize before even playing their first note. They opened their set with Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies, warm instrumentation reminiscent of the mid-sixties, matching t-shirts, and a sunglasses-adorned bassist. Their second song was probably the catchiest tune of the whole night, featuring a jaunty groove, trumpet interludes, and memorable vocal melodies. Throughout their set, each band member would make some wholesome and endearing quip showing their love for Velour, the night, and the Utah music scene. Their last song-and -a-half opened with a cool texture of choral vocals over a delayed and washed-out guitar. It seamlessly transitioned into a groove with eighth note staccato piano stabs that cut through soaring vocals. Lyrical refrains of “What a time, what a time, what a time to be alive” repeating throughout the song made it feel like the end credits of the night. After a lengthy vote count (the winner only leading by 2 votes), the Mellons were named the winner of Night 1. 

Night 2 of Velour’s Summer 2023 Battle of the Bands kicks off tonight at 7:30 PM! Catch Lighten Up, Francis, Antelope Island, Jumpmonk, and Comply or Evict. Tickets are $10 at the door. Make sure to follow The Mellons on Instagram and check out their song “Devil’s Advocate” below!