Three New Haven-area rock ‘n’ roll favorites Chaser Eight, pop-punk Gen X‑ers The Dollyrots, and Maryland-based newcomers Kings of The Wild Things — brought a much-needed serotonin boost to the week’s end at a show at Cafe Nine. Concertgoers drove hours, from places as far away as Syracuse, N.Y. and parts of Wisconsin, to join New Haveners in packing the nightclub, leaving little room between the front door and the stage.
Chaser Eight kicked off its set Saturday night around 9:10 p.m. with a bang. New guitarist Max Cappello, drummer Ben Kubie, and bass player Brennan DiLernia dove into the opening riffs of the band’s 2019 song “Playing with Fire,” as lead singer Audra (a.k.a. Audra Ciarleglio) sang into a megaphone, much to the delight of the audience. Moments later, she swapped the megaphone for a microphone on a short stick, giving off Freddie Mercury rockstar vibes as she joined backing vocalist Jess Wolfer.
The 40-minute set drew heavily from the band’s 2019 album Tell Me Lies and its May 2023 EP, Wide Awake. And while the band’s shapeshifted a bit over its 10-year existence, the current lineup might be the strongest one yet: Wolfer and Audra’s vocal harmonies are more confident than they’ve ever been — a sirenesque force of nature that’s just spellbinding to experience live, especially during anthemic songs like “Leave My Shadow” and “The Bell Jar.”
Cappello, who joined the band over the summer with the departure of founding member and guitarist Pat Walsh, brought a driving energy to every song — from a face-melting cover of “War Pigs” to new singles “Say Whatever” and “This Masquerade.” Yet while the transition has been emotional and challenging, given Walsh’s role as one of the band’s main songwriters, Cappello’s presence and blues-guitar-inspired skillset are a welcome addition as the band continues to evolve its sound.
Next up, Kings of The Wild Things, a five-piece, pop-punk, Gen-Z-leaning band hailing from Towson, Md., took the stage, winning over the audience with its enthusiasm: The band was tapped to open for The Dollyrots in several states on the headliner’s October tour, and didn’t take one second of that opportunity for granted.
Frontman Oscar Sobkowicz led the band through a set of songs that harkened back to the early ‘00s pop-punk sounds of Blink-182 and emo darlings Fall Out Boy, which got the audience bouncing. The band’s boundless energy and chemistry was contagious, as they played songs that covered subject matter ranging from mental health to Pokémon to Shrek 2. The audience appreciated it when lead guitarist Ben Shanholtz duct-taped his strap to his guitar (after the guitar’s strap lock broke), as well as the poignant moment when Sobkowicz picked up his acoustic guitar to play one of the band’s torch songs — “Tell Me a Tragedy” — showing everyone exactly why the band is now one of the most sought-after openers for other national acts, including Reel Big Fish and All Time Low.
Around 11 p.m., The Dollyrots brought their fresh brand of sunny, pop-punk awesomeness to the stage, with married bandmates Kelly Ogden (bass and vocals) and Luis Cabezas (guitar and vocals) and guest drummer Simon Hancock kicking off their set with “I Do” (from 2017’s Whiplash Splash). The audience went nuts when they moved into “My Best Friend’s Hot” (from 2007’s Because I’m Awesome) which elicited a club-wide chant-along, followed by a quick pause.
A spilled beer from Ogden gave the show an authentic punk-rock feel as the threesome dug into Dollyrots classics the audience was clamoring for. A favorite among these was their much-loved cover of “Brand New Key,” a cute, anecdotal tune every 13-year-old wants to sing to their crush (and is perfectly suited to Ogden’s higher vocal range, even 17 years after they recorded it for their 2007 album).
While Ogden and Cabezas have been playing together since before Ice Spice was born — and were a huge part of LA’s notorious “Kiss or Kill” music scene in the early ‘00s before capturing Joan Jett’s attention — they have never sounded better. Their new songs, including “Night Owl,” a chugging, power-chord rocker with Ogden’s playful vocals front and center, are as catchy as they’ve ever been. And with the welcome addition of their kids River, age 9, and Daisy, age 6, they’ve never had a more memorable live show.
About two-thirds of the way through their set, Ogden and Cabezas brought River and Daisy onstage to play guitar and drums for a song, which was followed by River’s comedy-and-performance-art act: The eldest child of The Dollyrots stood on a barstool to demonstrate his yo-yoing skills and entertain the audience with jokes (Question: “What did the socks say to the pants?” Answer “Sup, Britches!”) for several minutes, much to the delight of the parents in the room, who laughed and cheered at the punchlines.
The kids stayed on stage to watch the rest of the set, which closed with the band’s 2007 hit “Because I’m Awesome,” a cheeky, empowering tune that got the vast majority of concert goers bopping their heads and singing along to the chorus. The show ended at 12:30 a.m., but the mood stayed jubilant into the wee hours, as the self-proclaimed “night owls” hung out and snapped selfies with fans.
Let’s hope it’s not another year before they make their return to New Haven.
