Hot Slander come dressed to impress at Silhouette Lounge on Monday, 7 October 2024.

With Timothy Stone, and The Roscoes can’t find their drummer in the opening slot.

There’s a moment at every music show – and in the backroom of the Sil are no different – when all the soundcheck is completed, the fronter maybe starts up a little banter, and the band gets ready to dive into the first song. The Roscoes were just about ready to hit the ignition when they discovered their drummer was missing. No one seated on the throne!

To be fair, he wasn’t just mucking about – he had to change into the band uniform, which, in this case, was a kind of sharp-looking two-piece suit ensemble. Trying to class up the joint. Very Interpol, which was one of the bands that The Roscoes covered during the night. So not an accident.

The four-piece knocked out a set of covers and originals with a buzzy kind of Aughts-era guitarwork. You know, fuzzy textures on precision guitar parts. No noodling; every verse and chorus in its place and popping.

Shout out to the member from The Roscoes who did double duty as the drummer for Timothy Stone. The three-piece outfit played a kind of throwback sort of 70s rock. Relaxed tempos, letting the notes sink in. Clean Telecaster sounds coming off the fronter. Parts of the crowd tried to jumpstart a mosh pit toward the end of the set, but they were better off waiting until the next set, because the TImothy Stone vibe – at least on Monday night – was not a mosh pit vibe.

Hot Slander came to party. Costume party. At least two out of three members of the band came in character.

The guitarist was some version of a British judge – or barrister? – with the dove white wig full of long locks. The bassist was a court jester. Was there some inside joke punning between the two? Judge at court? A court jester? The drummer wasn’t dressed up at all, but he was in place and on time, so he had that going for him.

Quasi metal plus post hardcore shenanigans from this outfit, with a clutch of costumed fans bracing for impact in the pit.

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