Night Cap Showcases the Band’s Love for Performing Live
By Sophia Navarro
Is it possible for a band to sound just as good live as on their pre-recorded tracks? Night Cap’s recent sold-out shows at the Continental Club not only proved it is certainly possible to achieve studio quality on a live stage, but that music doesn’t have to be edited, tweaked, poked and prodded to be nearly note-perfect.
The Austin-born indie band’s stage presence attests that they aren’t new to performing. For seven years, they have been jumping around, cracking jokes, and creating a perfectly in-sync sound that is uncannily as polished as their recordings.
The setlist for their 85-minute show included an array from their 16 singles and one EP. During three sold-out nights in January, the band displayed their love for what they do best — performing live.
After what felt like forever of a bland and boring opening act, Night Cap changed the energy in the room. One of the band’s more electric songs, “Cheap Thrills’’ is filled with fiery beats that will make you feel as if you were in the middle of a James Bond movie right as the fight scene breaks out. The mix of drums and electric guitar behind the hard vocals create a crisp and dangerous vibe.
“Sentimental” creates a heavy feeling with its melancholy message centering around finding the light at the end of the tunnel during hard times. It feels like the music is wrapping you with a warm blanket.
To the fan’s surprise, the band brought out three fiddlers and two trumpet players to elevate a few songs, including one of their more recent singles, “Eileen.” Normally already energetic and upbeat, the new instruments created a whole new song. Imagine it playing in the background as you drive along the coast, smelling the ocean.
Even though lead singer Ryan King encountered some technical difficulties he quickly brushed it off and continued to perform.
The band formed when they were all University of Texas college students. King was in a different band with keyboardist Adrian Ayala and bassist Alex Alfonso. But when they heard singer/guitarist Jake Bomgaars open as a solo act to one of their concerts, they quickly approached him to join the band. And the rest is history.
With the bandmates being close friends and collaborators when coming up with a new idea, all four members have an equal opportunity to join forces to and create a whole new song.
At the end of the night the band genuinely thanked everyone for attending with childlike smiles spread from ear to ear.
Rate: 5 out of 5 stars
