_{By Sam Andersen}

If there’s one thing that foreshadows a fantastic show, it’s heat. As more and more fans and supporters filtered in for last night’s Battle of the Bands, Provo’s favorite venue started to feel like an oven (and that made me really stoked). I’ve been to a number of shows at Velour and was talking to one of my fellow judges beforehand about the musical community that Velour has helped to cultivate over almost two decades. It’s a community that I’m so happy to be a part of and one that fosters unique bands who go all in. Tonight was another night for those bands to put their talent on full display.

I sat with anticipation as our host John Schultz (who does not get nearly as much recognition as he should) got up and introduced the first act: Dahbose & The Dahbosers.

Dahbose & The Dahbosers

Having played in a different battle of the bands competition myself once upon a time, I know how nerve-wracking it can be to play first (let alone playing first on the first night!). But this was a challenge that the band handled well. Their lead singer had great stage presence in spite of the crowd who was still getting warmed up. Shimmering synths adorned their set, with a drummer holding down a tight groove. Their music was very danceable, but not in the typical Provocore indie-rock type of way. Their music would go so hard in a club.

That being said, their set was begging for just one more musician to provide some extra live textures. The two-man backing band did a terrific job, but a significant portion of their set was supported by backing tracks. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I felt like the band sounded a little bit squashed in moments where they could have been more dynamic. All in all, I was so happy to finally catch this unique Provo band live.

Internet Lover Boys

Up next was Internet Lover Boys. They wasted no time getting the crowd going with their bubbly, Backseat Lovers-esque indie rock, and seamlessly transitioned into their next song before introducing the band members. Each song had lots of cool, memorable moments. Think high energy, big hits, classic late 2010’s indie. No one could deny that these guys were having a great time on stage. One thing I do have to say is that I love the lead singer’s voice. It completes the band’s sound very nicely. I also really appreciated the tight harmonies that graced several of their songs. Overall, the vocal performance of the band’s guitarists elevated their already-tight sound tenfold.

My favorite moment of their set was their third(?) song that had this really creative chord progression choice. I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff, and they pulled it off very well. The only thing I felt was missing from Internet Lover Boys’ set was a little distortion. This could totally just be my preference, but I think some dirt on the singer’s guitar during the chorus would really make their songs pop a lot more. The band received an enthusiastic applause from the audience as they finished up packed out after their set.

Lonely Heights

One thing that was crystal clear about Lonely Heights from the get-go was that they are very well rehearsed. They were the tightest-sounding band of the night. Each band member knew exactly when to push through and when to hold back, making each song very dynamic and hard-hitting. In addition, their lead singer really knew how to work a crowd. His voice reminded me of a cross between Sameer Gadhia from Young the Giant and Patrick Stump of Fall out Boy. His vocals were supported by their bassist, who had some super locked-in harmonies.

The crowd was cheering and putting their hands up from the very first song. Lonely Heights weaponized this rock energy to start the first mosh pit of the night. The band’s two guitarists were very talented and whipped out a call-and response style solo during one of their songs. I was super impressed overall. 

Lucy Chris

The last act of the night was Lucy Chris, who started off her set by throwing out a bunch of tiaras into the crowd and proclaiming, “Look! We all look like royalty now!” It looked like a lot of fun. Lucy (whose yellow bass reminded me of Laura Lee) described her band’s music as “a smoothie of all genres” and held up that promise by starting off with a sludgy grunge song before moving into a groovy reggae song. While the band did traverse many genres over the course of their set, there seemed to be a common theme of chill-harshness to each of their songs (in a good way). Lucy’s sassy stage presence combined with some wicked-sounding guitar solos made each song their own. The band had the crowd dancing in no time.

Despite the group’s cool vibe, I wish that they had switched up their groove a little bit more. The songwriting was good, but the songs that the band played were sometimes hard to distinguish from one another. An uptempo song or two would have provided some great contrast to the rest of their set. Lucy Lee and her band closed up the night gracefully with a great response from the crowd.

It was a great night, and each of the bands did so well. The crowd waited in anticipation as host John Schultz (who is the greatest host of all time by the way), took the stage to announce the winner: Lonely Heights! With this, they’re the first group this week to officially secure a return on Saturday for finals.

Velour’s Summer 2024 Battle of the Bands continues tonight at 7:30 PM with performances from I’d Rather Be, Kid Presentable, Swerved by Blondes, and Lindenfield! Tickets are $12 at the door. Until then, you can check out Lonely Height’s song “Okay” below!