Lead singer of Shiny Toy Guns, Gregori Chad Petree
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Shiny Toy Guns
October 12, 2008
Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale
Article and Photos by Nicole Lulinski
It was clear from the moment I saw the colorful line outside of the Culture Room that this concert would be one of the more interesting ones I’ve attended, to say the least. But I had no idea that when Shiny Toy Guns hit Ft. Lauderdale on October 12th with the Delta Fiasco and Jonezetta, they would leave such a satisfied and happy crowd despite the sore throats.
I arrived at the Culture Room about 20 minutes late but the doors still had not opened. To my surprise, the crowd was completely mellow and patient, as they continued to be throughout the entire first half of the concert.
An hour later, the enduring crowd was relieved to see the Delta Fiasco, a trio of English boys from Liverpool, confidentially walking towards their posts on the stage. Clad in their all-white onstage uniform, they started off the night with their signature blend of heavy guitars, intense drums and mutant bleeps, which combine perfectly with lead vocalist Nathan Walzack’s twisted falsettos.
The crowd did not warm to the European electronica group, even when they played signature songs from their debut album, "Dreameater." After 20 minutes the crowd finally started bopping their heads, at the most, to their set. By then, it was obvious who everyone had really come to see.
Following Delta Fiasco was Jonezetta, a passionate indie band from Mississippi. They blazed through their hit songs like "Welcome Home" and "Get Ready," as well as other songs from their prior albums, Four Songs and Popularity, they mainly focused their set on their new album, Cruel to Be Young. They successfully revived the crowd and got us jumping and dancing for the first time that night.
Flashing white, red, blue and green strobe lights flooded the room as they started off with smashing stamina in "Starts with One."
Nicole Lulinkski with Delta Fiasco
At the end of a truly rocking set, Jonezetta surprised everyone by doing a cover of Tom Petty’s "American Girl." Although I’ve seen this cover performed by Jack’s Mannequin and heard it from the Goo Goo Dolls, Jonezetta performed this overdone song perfectly, with a natural mix of rock and indie, and a blast of spunk that kept us dancing and yelling the lyrics even when they finished.
While "American Girl" and a beating bass line was still streaming through my mental jukebox, the crowd was getting anxious for Shiny Toy Guns. After 30 minutes, the lights shut off and the crowd’s ear-shattering screams went wild. Finally, what we had all really been waiting for had arrived — Shiny Toy Guns came out rocking. Flashing white, red, blue and green strobe lights flooded the room as they started off with smashing stamina in "Starts with One."
I was nervous at first to see the new lead vocalist, Sisely Treasure, in action since the former lead vocalist Carah Faye Charnow was really the heart of the Grammy nominated album, We Are Pilots. I was ecstatic when Treasure came out rocking with all her girl power in "Le Disko" and proved her voice could measure up to – or be better than – Charnow’s.
To keep the energy in the middle of the set, an incredible performance of their new singles "Poison" and "Ricochet" from their new album, Poison, had me screaming and dancing for more. To mellow it out a bit, there was a perfect mix of rock songs like "Rainy Monday," which Gregori Chad Petree, the other vocalist, made beautiful. To finish it out, the band rocked "Rocketship" out of the hemisphere, took a small bow, and walked away.
The crowd, on the other hand, did not move. After a minute or two the screams let down and the chants began: "One more! One more!" And then the lights turned off again and I knew it was the start of the very best end.
The encore started with a new sweet song, "I Owe You a Love Song," which appears on their upcoming album. While the performed "Cry Out" I could feel my heart thumping and the goose bumps growing, but the one that really hit home for all those diehard Shiny fans was the hit, "You Are the One" which was, in one word, incredible.
Let us know what you think at outloud@outloud.com..