I was looking forward to seeing this band, as I’d heard about them for awhile, and liked the John Steinbeck reference. Even more recently I heard “Death Train” on the radio and really enjoyed it. As I was waiting for the show to start, I was talking to people in the crowd who were big fans and singing their praises. I try not to pay attention to the hype, but the Apes of Wrath already had a lot to live up to.

The Apes of Wrath certainly bring a lot of energy to their show. The music is indie rock/ alternative, with that new dance hall sound that made me think of Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party. Yet while the show was very “dancey” nobody was. That’s not to say the crowd wasn’t into it; the energy on stage was contagious, the crowd was mostly already established fans, and the music was upbeat and solid.

At the beginning of the set I thought that each song had a different and original sound, however towards the end, they all started sounding the same. Maybe because I was not familiar with their music beforehand, however it was confirmed by one of my friends in the crowd who also called it repetitive. Still if repetitive is the worst thing you could say about them, then they are already ahead of most, and “Death Train” definitely has the makings of a hit single. Apes of Wrath released an EP in 1999, followed by their first album “Plastic, Fake, and Frozen” in 2008. Band members include Dustin Elliott on Drums, Andrew Geldmeier on Guitar, Rob Kent on Vocals/Guitar, and Jake Bankhead on Bass.