Giant Squid, Grayceon, Llange
Radio Radio, Friday, March 23

Though it would have been nice to see more people make it out, Radio Radio hosted a great show Friday. It was one of those shows where you get the feeling you’ll be able to pull out bragging rights later for the potential each of the bands displayed in an “I saw ’em first” kind of way.

Local group Llange got things going with a tight set of slower, almost trippy metal. The set was largely instrumental, but when singer/guitarist Philip Montfort did throw in vocals, they were understated and Pink Floyd-ish. At one point in the set, both the bassist and second guitarist were each playing synth pianos instead of their respective string instruments. This added a nice touch and could be the band’s secret weapon for adding more dimension than a traditional rock/metal band.

Grayceon played a short (i.e, a couple of really long songs) but sweet set of, well, you tell me. Jackie Perez Gratz, singer and cellist, sang haunting vocals, and the guitar player had chops along the lines of Dillinger Escape Plan. Progressive rock may be the best way to describe Grayceon, but that term is a pretty generic blanket for such a unique outfit.

Headlining was Giant Squid, which played a little tentatively at first, but warmed up shortly after. Missing a member or two (Grayceon’s Gratz filled in on vocals and cello), the band more than made up for what it lacked personnel-wise. Most songs were slow and heavy, but the arrangements never felt tedious. Singer/guitarist Aaron Gregory’s pipes jumped from whispers to mic-eating hollers. Gratz was also impressive. When she wasn’t singing soothing backup, she barked like she was auditioning for Hatebreed.