Alternative Buffalo’s Kerfuffle B4 Xmas

kbfc16 Concert Review
Alternative Buffalo’s
The Kerfuffle B4 Xmas
KeyBank Center
Buffalo, NY
Friday December 2, 2016
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto

If you wanted to check out bands who are on the cusp of breaking out or just under the radar then KeyBank Center was the place to be Friday evening. Radio station 107.7 hosted their 3rd Annual Kerfuffle Before Christmas. The show featured Judah & The Lion, Atlas Genius, Joywave, Capital Cities, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and Dirty Heads.

Judah & the Lion kicked things off much to the delight of the crowd. Those already familiar with the band seemed very pleased with the performance. This band definitely gained more fans as singer Judah Akers and the rest of the band put on a strong performance and started the evening off on a positive note.

Up next were Atlas Genius led by brothers Keith (vocal, guitars) and Michael (drums) Jeffrey. The Aussie’s ripped through their short 25-minute set with authority. Songs such as “Molecules” and “Trojans” went over great with the enthusiastic crowd.

Rochester’s homegrown band Joywave played next. They were added to the bill a few days prior due to Grouplove unable to perform. Singer Hannah Hooper was put on vocal rest for 4-6 causing the band to cancel appearances. The crowd seemed very familiar with Joywave. Singer Daniel Armbruster wore a Jack Eichel jersey and let the crowd know he was at the Sabres game the night before.

Capital Cities were next and they seemed to get one of the best ovations of the night. Formed in 2010, the band consists of vocalists Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian. The band came out to the intro of “Lovin’ You” the number one smash by the late Minnie Riperton before they ripped into “One Minute More”. Overall one of the standout bands of the night.

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness was next. His was the most familiar name on the bill having played the area on a few occasions. McMahon played recent single “Fire Escape” along with “Cecilia and the Satellite” and ended with “Synesthesia” during which McMahon brought out an old parachute and had the crowd pass around.

The reggae band Dirty Heads closed the show and put the evening on ice. Hailing from Huntington Beach, California the band is led by co-lead vocalists Jared “Dirty J” Watson and Dustin “Duddy B” Bushnell.

As the show ended me and a few other colleagues reflected on the three years of TKBC. One thing we noticed was this was a much smaller crowd than previous years. We also discussed how there was no big name on the bill. Prior years had Third Eye Blind, Fitz & the Tantrums and Sublime with Rome which helped sell tickets. With the dismal attendance this year’s show had (many portions of the 100 sections were empty), here’s hoping Alternative Buffalo will still be able to put on a show next year. It’s not that Fridays show was bad or anything, as it turned out to be a decent show. Our suggestion is to get one main headliner that can draw 5000-7000 on their own and the rest of the lineup should help fill the venue up. Hopefully somebody is listening because the turnout last night was about the only disappointment.

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Judah & The Lion