Army Navy and The Shys Played The Rickshaw Stop - Review, Pics

Last night at The Rickshaw Stop, Army Navy and The Shys loaded in to co-headline a night of thoroughly solid rock and roll. The bands have vastly different sounds, but the combination of the two served to balance well. Moreover, the camaraderie and love of music between all the musicians involved was very clearly evident. These are two bands that love touring, and more importantly, love touring together.

Army Navy played first, and delivered exactly what we had been hoping for. The first half of their set played it safe, and stayed pretty close to the record. As the night went on however, the band loosened up and really hit their stride. The vocals got more emotive, the guitars more aggressive, and the whole sonic palate got wider and more enjoyable.

In spite of having driven over their guitarist's foot last week, and coming to a less-than-packed Sunday night show in San Francisco, the band really delivered. Their live set is energetic, enthusiastic, and pushes the boundries of their recorded work. Frankly, we'd like to see them put a record out there that gets their live sound down on tape, but in the meantime, seeing them live will suffice.

The Shys followed Army Navy with a set of impeccably tight, blues driven rock and roll. Given frontman Kyle Krone's somewhat Brit-influenced look, we were surprised when the band dove into a set that was more Jane's Addiction then it was The Jam. Despite our initial skepticism, the band definitely won us over, and after a great set (and two multi-band on-stage singalongs) we were definitely on board with their performance and showmanship.

The bands are continuing their West Coast tour over the next couple of days, including a date in Santa Cruz tomorrow night. If you're feeling the urge for some solid tunage, we recommend checking it out - you won't be disappointed.

Many more pictures over at the HAD Archive