Joywave headlined The Underground in Charlotte on October 12th and continued on their legacy of being a phenomenal live band with a consistently memorable set. While only being a two band show, HUNNY and Joywave drew in a packed crowd and created a perfect memory for a chilly Saturday night.
Stuffed animals and figurines—which included Mickey Mouse and Animal from The Muppets—littered the stage in preparation for HUNNY. When the band came out, the crowd erupted in cheer and several voices could be heard singing along. Singer Jason Yarger did a fantastic job controlling the crowd and matching his vibe to theirs. When he broke a guitar string only a few songs in, he quickly switched guitars and kept the song moving. Even after breaking a string on the backup guitar, Yarger made it work by tuning songs down slightly or playing them without that note entirely. When realizing he had to resort to mostly using the purple guitar while also wearing a purple shirt, he joked about looking like McDonald’s iconic character Grimace, earning effortless favor from the crowd. He kept up the charm by declaring that playing this show on a Saturday night was perfect before kicking into the band’s song appropriately named “Saturday Night”. Hunny ended their set with crowd favorite “Vowels (And the Importance of Being Me)” and the crowd happily sang along—creating a perfect conclusion and a properly warmed up crowd.
The last time I saw Joywave headline this stage was last year in April. In this time, they released Permanent Pleasure which came out in May this year. The album is sonically unique while still being impactful and emotional so I was excited to hear some of the songs from it live. Opening the set with the album’s first song “Graffiti Planet” was the perfect way to start. Singer Daniel Armbruster started the song off stage while the rest of the band slowly filed into their respective spots. The crowd positively hummed in anticipation. When Armbruster did finally appear, fans reacted in cheer and applause. Both Paul Brenner [drums] and Joseph Morinelli [guitar] are absolute masters at their craft, honing into their performances with ease and backing up Armbruster perfectly. Joywave played quite a few songs from this year’s album including “787 Dreamliner”, “Brain Damage”, and “He’s Back!”. Songs from all eras of the band were sprinkled into the setlist as well such as “It’s A Trip!” and fan favorite—and show closer— “Destruction”. I paid close attention to the crowd all night, watching as they sang and danced along. It was clear that everyone in the room had a great time. Joywave continues to be an impressive band to see live and I will definitely make sure to catch them again next time they’re in town.
Don’t miss out on the Permanent Pleasure Tour! Dates below:
9/11 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre
9/12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Music Hall
9/13 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
9/14 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall
9/16 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
9/17 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
9/18 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
9/20 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
9/21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell
9/23 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
9/24 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
9/26 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
9/27 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
9/29 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theatre
9/30 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
10/2 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
10/3 – Dallas, TX – Ferris Wheelers
10/4 – Houston, TX – Last Concert Cafe
10/5 – New Orleans, LA – House Of Blues
10/8 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade – Hell
10/0 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
10/11 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
10/12 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground
10/13 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry
10/15 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
10/16 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
10/17 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philly
10/18 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
10/30 – Brighton, UK – Green Door Store
10/31 – Oxford, UK – Bullingdon
11/1 – Glasgow, UK – King Tuts
11/2 – Manchester, UK – YES (Pink Room)
11/3 – Sheffield, UK – Sidney & Matilda
11/5 – Nottingham, UK – Bodega
11/6 – London, UK – Scala
11/8 – Zurich, Switzerland – Papiersaal
11/9 – Cologne, Germany – Artheater
11/10 – Berlin, Germany – Badehaus
11/12 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Pumpehuset
11/13 – Eindhoven, Netherlands – Effenaar KZ
11/14 – Utrecht, Netherlands – De Helling
