Dallas neo-eighties/post-punk’s Rosegarden Funeral Party continue to impress with each performance. Headlining at Wits End in Deep Ellum on Friday night, the band was in top form as they prep for an upcoming six-week tour that kicks off at the end of March.
Playing several tracks from last years’ The Chopping Block EP, like “Ill and Getting Worse” and “Blitzkrieg in Holland,” and their live release Live Last Night: Live From The Double Wide In Dallas, “AMC” and “Eden,” the band has clearly fine-tuned their live performance. Yes, each song is note perfect compared to the studio recordings, but there is also enough room for a little improvisation that performing live can naturally provoke. Vocalist/guitarist Leah Lane’s voice was full and strong, filling the room with either a comforting embrace or an ominous wail. What’s more, the bands cover of Human Tetris’s “Things I Don’t Need” showed off her guitar playing skills as she nailed the melody with ease. Her band, bassist Will Farrier, drummer Dylan Stamas, and keyboardist/sampler Mikka Vanya Brightheart, held things down behind her. Farrier and Stamas are in lock-step as a rhythm section and Brightheart adds atmospheres that color the songs in reds and grays. Over the course of their roughly hour long set, the band held the audience captive. The crowd was either bobbing their heads, or of course, filming various songs and moments with their phones. Further, it was easy to spot those who were catching the band for the first time. They were the ones with mouths agape.
The band is playing various dates in Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton, Austin, and San Antonio before their west coast tour kicks off in San Diego on March 29th. Check their website for dates and hustle out to catch one of their gigs. You won’t be disappointed.
– J. Kevin Lynch (words); Carson Allen (photos)
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