The moment Front Bottoms lead vocalist Brian Sella walked on to the stage, the entire audience shifted forward as far as humanly possible to decrease the distance between the band and themselves.
The crowd knew every single lyric to every single song. It is undoubtedly one of the most passionate fanbases I have ever witnessed at a concert. I found myself in the heat of the crowd about two or three songs in, surrounded by sweaty fans belting every heartfelt lyric. It was amazing to see firsthand the sincere love the fans have for this band.
The Front Bottoms is a four-piece band that draws from indie rock, emo, punk rock and folk to create their own unique style. It may sound unconventional and odd, but it’s a formula that works surprisingly well. Their success with this genre-defying style is exemplified by their extremely loyal and passionate fanbase.
It was difficult not to fall in love with Sella’s quirky demeanor. His witty lyricism accurately represents his awkward yet admirable personality. His lyrics are reminiscent of the random thoughts you would have while trying to fall asleep. For example, the song “The Beers” boasts the following lyric: “I will remember that summer / As the summer I was taking steroids / Because you like a man with muscles.”
Sella also did a wonderful job of engaging the crowd. This was mostly done with amusing commentary in between songs. He regaled the audience with a story of how he went to the costume shop, Gotcha!, earlier that day and how the cashier who checked him out, Amanda, was in the crowd that night. He also caught word of it being an audience member’s 21st birthday, so he let the fan borrow what he called a traditional “English birthday hat,” a large hot pink hat that practically looked like a tutu.
In all honesty, I had not heard of The Front Bottoms until I saw that they were playing at The Blue Note in early April. With that being said, I knew some of the songs and lyrics, but not all of them like the majority of the people in the venue. I may not have been nearly as familiar with the band as most people in the room were, but I had an amazing time. It was one of the most energetic concerts I have been to in a while and it was truly a fun experience.
_Edited by Katherine Rosso | krosso@themaneater.com_