The Last Splash

Big Splash is a band that I only saw once, but that show was legendary. When I heard that they were playing their last show, I knew I would have to go. The other bands were Bong Wish, a band I figured was probably some kind of doom metal, and Robin Vote, who are usually pretty cool. It seemed like it would be really fun.

The show was February 10th. It was not a bad day that day. Big Splash was playing first, and they played quite a show. They opened with Neil Young's "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)". It was awesome! They even did the little backing vocals. Another great one was that song about following the road or something. That's always a good one too. The set was full of sludgey guitar and bass with a clear lead guitar over the top and solid drums. They did lots of cool rock moves. And that was it.

Next was Robin Vote. The band has gone thru significant changes since I last saw them, retaining only two of the members from that time. The musick was a little more country rock than the sort of country meets post-punk of the past. They are kind of like the Pittsburgh version of The Fall. I honestly did not find this set to be as engaging as before, though it wasn't terrible either.

Bong Wish was getting ready to play last. The members looked much more like a hippie, psych band than some doom thing. That's exactly how it was too. The songs resembled The Doors and the Allman Brothers over any comparisons to Sleep or Earth. The guitarwork from the frontwoman was really awesome with a clear and bright tone and fast fingerwork. The lights stayed dim as they played, creating a different kind of atmosphere. It was a good set.

Before I left I also got a pin and a tape from Bong Wish. I like the moon design on the pin. I don't smoke weed or anything else though, so I feel strange about wearing it. I also talked with the members of Big Splash about their future projects. It seems like there will be some interesting stuff coming up.