Last Thursday night, Oct. 26, of the Halloween season, The Barn was filled with guests of all ages ready for the night’s acts. With sounds by Lost Cat, The Mismiths and KUCR, concert-goers filed in by the minute to enjoy the line-up. Before the first act arrived on stage, the venue was almost to full capacity.
Lost Cat, an all-female rock band based in East Los Angeles, opened the night with brash vocals and an amazing guitar solo. After a sick opener, each member of Lost Cat continued to demonstrate their musical talents throughout their set. During the middle of their set, Lost Cat gave the crowd a special treat by premiering their newest single, “Rather Be Stoned.” Continuing their raw energy from the start of their set, all members of the band gave it their all with fast-paced guitars, booming drums and loud drawn-out vocals.
After the premiere of “Rather be Stoned,” Lost Cat continued with a throwback track followed by a sequence of slower-paced tracks intermixed with faster and louder sound. Much like their faster-paced music, Lost Cat’s slower and emotional pieces were also a joy to listen to as the lead vocals guided the audience to feelings of sorrow and self-reflection. Lost Cat would go on to finish their set after 11 songs and lend the stage to the next act, The Mismiths.
The Mismiths, a five piece rock band hailing from Los Angeles, mixes the melancholy melodies of The Smiths with the crass tunes of The Misfits. After these five “handsome devils” made their way to their stage for an impromptu sound check, the dance floor began to flood with people eager to hear the unique sound of the band. After a short introduction, Jack-O-Lantern and Gorrissey, the two lead vocalists of the band, opened up their set with an interesting soundscape of tropes from their respective bands.
After their opening track, the two lead vocalists had everyone in the crowd pumped up for their set filled with original tracks, covers and interesting fusions of other punk rock/gothic bands from the 80s. As The Mismiths continued their set, a small pit was formed at the center of the crowd as Jack-O-Lantern sang “Astro Zombies.”
Throughout the night, the same pit got rowdier and bigger as The Mismiths kept on amping up the crowd and moshers in attendance. After a lengthy set, Gorrissey, one of the band’s lead vocalists, closed out the night with a cover of “This Charming Man” by The Smiths with the crowd singing along. As The Mismiths began to place their microphones and instruments back on their respective stands, the crowd cried for more songs to be sung. However, it was time for the five men to return to their graveyard after an amazing set with even greater energy from the crowd.
Lost Cat serenaded everyone with new music and set the mood for the rest of the night. Spearheading the crowd into a night of madness and melancholy, The Mismiths had the crowd on their feet gearing up for the final days of the Halloween season.
