Plastic Daggers at the Hi-Dive

Friday was two-piece night at Denver’s amazing Hi-Dive venue on Broadway. We were unable to stick around for much-heralded final band In the Whale – we’ll be seeing them again soon. Our attention was directed on the two openers – two great bands consisting of a total of four local musicians, all making amazing music.

Plastic Daggers were up first. Bassist/vocalist Keaton Kidder we think lived up to his surname by saying that the band’s vocalist and lead guitarist had quit that very day, leaving them to have to scramble together to do the gig as a duo. Nice one. Actually, these guys (completed by drummer/vocalist Jordan Palmer) made a lot of great noise. The lack of guitar forces Kidder to get some wild sounds from his bass, while Palmer plays like a man possessed. The large Hi-Dive crowd was well into it all, allowing Kidder to take a stage-dive, and the duo ended by smashing up the drum kit. Nice.

SPELLS also put in a great performance, if not as gloriously insane. There’s a real pop-punk feel to the band that they might deny. We smell the Bouncing Souls in there – that melodic, oi-boy almost-hardcore that people who buy Epitaph records lap up. That’s no slight on them – the tunes are strong, the show is exciting, and the guys look and play great.

What we do know is that we went to the Hi-Dive for the second time in a couple of weeks and once again discovered some awesome local bands. Long may it continue.