_{By Joe Vickrey}

After running home from work, I rushed to engineer some bass tracks and do a little vocal warm up before heading to Velour. As soon as I walked in the door it felt like stepping into the Twilight Zone… but in a good way. From the incense to the lighting, I felt all the business of my day wash away, and I was excited to hear a lineup of bands I hadn’t heard before. The mystery made it all the more exciting. 

Love, Kenna

Love, Kenna kicked off the night with a tender set of songs eager to tug at the heartstrings. Their set ranged from pop rock to singer-songwriter with a few jazzy and country moments interlaced throughout. Their singer (the Kenna part of Love, Kenna) put on a dazzling performance with her vocals being the main attraction. Dynamic and emotional, she knew what she was doing and did it well. 

The band’s set started with a few thumps back and forth between synthesizer and drums, but I didn’t quite understand why they chose that to open the set and to lead into the first song. They’re all clearly well-trained musicians, and I wonder if maybe there was just a small miscommunication on how the intro was supposed to go. Either way, they immersed the crowd almost immediately. Hoot-n-holler clap alongs and sing-along choruses made them an easy band to get excited for. 

The group’s last two songs stole the set with their biggest dynamics, biggest hooks, and their most synchronized stage presence. Had they had started with that level of energy, I think the crowd would’ve become even more engaged. Between a pianist who may have a day job playing at a cocktail lounge and a lead guitarist with a good sense of melody, they’re a fun group to look out for if you don’t mind crying over a breakup song or two. 

Spencer Sanders

As Spencer Sanders and co. took the stage, I spent their whole first song counting how many people they crammed on stage. Eight. Eight people… in this economy? They should have won an award for just getting that many people to align their schedules for rehearsal. Spencer sang and played keys, and his band contained two guitarists, bass, drums, a cello, violin, and flute.

With little exception, the group was tight, which is an impressive feat for a group that’s only been together for seven months. Their unreleased song “Healing” was my favorite of the set for a number of reasons. The verses were written around a syncopated rhythm between the guitars and rhythm section, and it was the first song where I felt the violin, cello, and flute were all working in unison. While each of those three had cool parts throughout the set, it really sang when they played together.

As far as songwriting goes, I absolutely loved Spencer Sanders. Dude writes great songs, and they’re songs that matter. He mentioned how he identifies as a queer songwriter, and I always love hearing hopeful messages from the perspective of someone in the LGBTQ+ community. For a group as big as Spencer’s, my only suggestion would be to thin out some of the arrangements early in the songs to help them build. It’s not that they felt too dense by any means, but I’d absolutely love to hear a folk explosion halfway through some of these tunes.

The Penny Candies

I mentioned earlier how I felt like I’d entered the Twilight Zone, but when the next band came up on stage with seven members, I started to wonder if I really was in another world. Vocals harmonizing perfectly over bass clarinet, trumpet, violin, drums, piano, and guitars made for an exciting set. 

From the first hushed minor chord to the build which I can only describe as mystic, The Penny Candies stole everyone’s attention, if not their hearts, in one fell swoop. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, they did the boldest thing I could imagine: They parted the crowd, unplugged, and performed a song in the middle of the attendees. Shakers were passed out to the audience, and a kid repeatedly sprayed me with a squirt bottle as the band sang a truly magical tune called “Rain Song.” The crowd erupted like thunder after the storm. I think I speak for everyone when I say, we all had goosebumps. 

Catchy, fun and dynamic songs, vintage textures, unpredictably, and matching outfits? I’m not kidding when I say they had it all. They were impossible not to love. Their instrumentation changed every song, and their finale even featured someone holding a toy piano up to a microphone while someone in a fox costume danced through the crowd passing out Lemonheads. If I didn’t have an extreme phobia of mascots, it would’ve been the cherry on top. 

Clean Freak

As Clean Freak began to line check, the crowd was already cheering their lead guitarist began shredding into the wind. Starting off with a bang into a banger, Clean Freak had no shortage of energy. I would’ve been impressed if this group had been together for two years, but they’ve only been together for TWO MONTHS. I’m convinced they only stopped playing together in those two months for an occasional bathroom break. Their frontman and pianist played the crowd like a fiddle as he immediately belted into some impossibly high notes.

Clean Freak sound like a mix of what I want Maroon 5 and Arctic Monkeys to sound like, and the crowd responded to them like they were a big caliber band. 50 people jumping for a guitar solo, folks howling as the singer brought out a megaphone, and constant dancing defined their set.

Mixing the occasional jangle of Provocore with pop and rock puts Clean Freak on the top of my list of bands to watch for coming out of Utah. If they can capture their energy in the studio release a few songs and keep the momentum up, then I have no doubt we’ll be hearing a lot more from the group. Having only played two shows together, I’m excited to see what they have in store.

Results

It was such an eventful night, and I’d let any of the bands play my birthday party for sure, but there’s could only be one winner. With the judges from such different backgrounds, I was curious to see how it went. I really had no idea who would win. According to our host, each band scored the highest in one of the categories from the judges. On top of that, as an added rarity, two bands tied on the crowd vote, so both were given crowd bonus points.

At long last we heard the winner of night two was The Penny Candies! The crowd erupted once again, and it seemed in celebration of a great night of music. As I exited the Twilight Zone, I remembered I had to be up at 6 AM, but I’ll forever cherish this evening of good times and great tunes. 

The Penny Candies will join The Last Wild Buffalo at finals this Saturday. Velour’s Summer 2025 Battle of the Bands continues tonight! Asher Hunt, Saemore, Sky Olson & The Valley, and Sweet Tangerine will perform. Doors open at 7:30 PM and music is at 8. While you’re waiting, check out “The Fox” by The Penny Candies below and be sure to follow the band on Instagram.