Otherwise, the sleepyheads taking up space around the stage would have sucked the energy out of all of us, including the band. The audience that was connecting with these guys made their voices heard. I felt bad that a bunch of too-stoned or too-tired people had planted their butts up front. More than once front man Nicolaides raised his arms and shouted out to the walking dead in front of him to “rise up LA,” to mostly no avail. It was the folks three-quarters-of-the-way back, and those in the reserve seats and standing at the bar that really got into BOD’s jams, nodding their heads, feeling it and otherwise looking alive. For the most part, those closest to the stage looked and reacted like numb zombies. There was an odd mix of people as the night went on. At least the ones awake enough to listen. This reviewer loved this twisted gem, and so did the crowd. …and guitar chords flavored like an early Beatles or Stones tune, “Sweet Girl” was the perfect mix of devilish fun and deep-down dungeon-of-the-mind thoughts. Next up, a punk-playful ‘love’ song’ with more ode to Jack the Ripper than romance, BOD’s “Sweet Girl.” With lyrics like…Īnd I could find the spot, which broke me, Darkness added a surprise touch with a false end to the song, one that definitely fooled the audience, then followed it up the with the real ending that included a jump-jump, guitar-humping stage romp from Nicolaides and scream of sticks and skins by drummer Cupito. Bassist Curcio began the tune with a laid-back, almost disinterested vibe, and then wowed the crowd with a mid-song finger-picking run. Drummer Cupito banged the skins into submission. Nicolaides led the way with his body-writhing vocals and devil-licious riffs. A slow start, stylized melody up front, the opening tone of despair quickly escalated into a frenzied scream. Returning to the Roxy stage, from where it all began, Beware of Darkness jump-started their set with “Ghost Town,” a metal infused, deliciously dark and brooding death anthem about the gut-wrenching search for a reason to live loss at its rock-n-roll finest. From the moment they took the stage, it was pure energy-pumping, blasting and sizzling-stringing at an intense, full throttle pace. Fellow bandmates Daniel Curcio (bass) and Tony Cupito (drums) clearly drank from the same tank of energy juice. The youngish Nicolaides amps up the fun and engages the crowd like a seasoned pro. This guy back walks, leaps, spins 360-degree turns, booty shakes and fist pumps the air, all while power-singing and hyper-stroking his guitar. The best way to describe front man Kyle Nicolaides is a demented Peter Pan on crack. So now on to the talented beasts of the underworld, Beware of Darkness.
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