Bad Suns at The Garrison

All-ages shows at The Garrison are a bit of an oddity. The venue usually plays home to hip 20-somethings, idly standing with PBRs in hand to take in whatever’s been blowing up on Pitchfork. But there I was on a Wednesday night at an all-ages show. You could tell the audience skewed younger, given the crowded pit and the beers traded in for iPhones, held aloft to capture all those Instagram-worthy moments. The venue was packed for Los Angeles’ Bad Suns, selling out The Garrison and owning their time on stage with all the showmanship you would hope to see from an emerging band. 

They’re a group you could easily see on a Warped Tour bill, though the sweaty nightclub served them just as well. The four-piece make music that owes so very much to 80’s new wave due to its deeper, more drawn out vocal deliveries and backing electronics, but is also extremely embedded in the sounds of Southern California. It also makes sense they’ve toured with The 1975 in the past – the similarities are pretty evident in their sounds, attitude, and audience.

Touring debut album Language & Perspective, vocalist Christo Bowman made a point of bringing up the band’s visit to the same room about a year ago. The band had just released their Transpose EP and had yet to pick up much attention for it. Bowman explained they had played to 10 people and it was one of their worst shows ever. Redemption was nigh. 

Packing their songs into a fast less-than-an-hour in length set, the band ran through audience favourites – the crowd more than happy to lend vocals and claps to each of the songs. Number such as “Pressure” and “Cardiac Arrest” played exceptionally well as a result of their enthusiasm. 

While the band is yet to have a breakout single, you can tell they’re on the verge of something big. I was also reminded of just how much fun a show can be. Say what you will about all-ages crowds, but when people are enjoying the music as much as they were enjoying Bad Suns, it makes a show infinitely better. The kids are all right.