I had the pleasure of catching my first gig at Lola earlier this month. The newly renovated venue, which has existed under several different names over the last two decades, is now known as Lola. The setting is more intimate now than previous iterations, which is saying a lot, since it’s been a small space for as long as I’ve been attending gigs there. There were also some large plants/ferns across from the bar, which blocked some sight lines for those not standing close to the stage. Sup with that?
It was a night of new tunes, as Queue rolled out a bunch of new tracks and Atlas Engine previewed their next single, “Where Have You Gone?” All sounded great! Atlas ENgine’s next single drops in December, while Queue has a music video and an EP in the works.
Plus, I had never heard Funcrusher before, so all of their songs were NEW TO ME. I thoroughly enjoyed their hybrid of surf and shoegaze - kind of like an early 2010s chillwave version of My Bloody Valentine, if that characterization makes any sense. Guitarist Greg, unfortunately, busted up his leg, so he had to sit on his amp for the entire set. This didn’t detract from their fervor. They exuded energy.
Unfortunately, I arrived too late to see the opening act, Oil Bay. Hope to catch them live soon!
