Review by Ryan Getz

Every spring, local independent alternative station CD1025 puts on two days of shows where they pull out all the stops, bringing in bands that get heavy airplay along with a rising local. For a scant $5, Columbusites were treated to such acts this day as Alt-J, Little Green Cars, Family of the Year, The Virginmarys, and The Weight of Whales.

The Weight of Whales, winners of a local competition to play this show went on first to a half-capacity audience. This band started out forgettable but got steadily better. The Weight of Whales shine best when showing off their blues rock roots, which had them in jam mode toward the latter half of their set. This redemption has me interested in where they head down the road.

The UK’s The Virginmarys were next up. This punk influenced trio is no Green Day, though they certainly looked like they could be related. The drummer has more than an ounce of crazy in him (always a good thing) and the vocals had a fair amount of grit to them. I would venture to say the vocal style is an acquired taste, but those in attendance seemed to enjoy their set, getting amped for their return to Columbus in the much more intimate The Basement venue.

Family of the Year performed a set of syrupy pop and alternative, with some folk influences thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed this band enough to take part in their “pay what you can” campaign for their album, but the obviously stoned and on another planet ramblings of their keyboard player left a strange taste in my mouth. Word to lovers of the pipe/bong onstage – stick to performing. Your words might be off putting and not endearing, in the case of this gal. Enough of that though – this band plainly has potential and seemed super grateful for welcoming nature of Columbus music fans.

In contrast, Little Green Cars performed with a no frills attitude. While the harmony driven band, which sounded a bit like a louder Head and the Heart, didn’t wow me with anything terribly unique, it was plain that people enjoy them and that CD102.5 booked them for a reason.

Headliners Alt-J are the ultimate buzz band right now. Some are even hailing them as “the next Radiohead.” One thing is certain though – they know how to put on a memorable performance. The band performed the bulk of their smash debut An Awesome Wave, eating up the multitude of fans making delta (triangle) symbols with their hands (alt-J on a Mac keyboard makes this symbol). Just like the album, the band began their set with the trio of the Introduction, “Interlude 1”, and “Tessalate.” An array of spotlights and construction lamps created an aesthetic treat to go along with restrained, yet confident stage presence of this foursome. As they churned through songs like “Matilda,” “Something Good,” and “Bloodflood” the vibe was chill and engaging. This changed during their radio hits “Fitzpleasure” and “Breezeblocks” which inspired a few crowdsurfers – there was never a weirder yet appropriate environment for this classic concert practice to take place. All in all, these boys from the UK have something good going and I felt fortunate to have been a part of their journey upwards.