Awaking State - Live at Republik Nightclub.
Alright. I normally don’t do multiple posts on the same band, especially when they’re close enough that they will likely end up on the same page.
Awaking State was invited to play at Republik Nightclub, a very well-known spot right in the Entertainment District of Toronto. With it’s dress-codes and $20.00 per night parking spots, I was wary of even going because I didn’t want to stress about being turned away for wearing a t-shirt and jeans.
Thankfully Republik is a nightclub that allows my kind of wardrobe so I didn’t need to worry too much. Being friends with the band has its privileges, such as getting into the club for free, all I needed to do was provide the photographic evidence that the band exists.
Awaking State was to hit the stage at 9:00pm. Doors were supposed to open at 8:30. Fair enough. 8:30 I was basically in line waiting for said doors to open. Ah, the musician’s lifestyle. Never on time. Anyways, the most confused I’d ever been, seeing as how there were four different guest lists you could have been on to pay a reduced cover charge, but me being special I paid the band’s photographer cover-charge.
The stage was… strange. I’d seen small stages before, but they’re normally still pretty box or square shaped. This was the widest, skinniest stage I’d ever seen. There was no depth to it, and it really wasn’t meant to be a stage I don’t think. There was a riser just below/in front which would have worked perfectly, but instead we got to see the boys behind a funny looking protective railing.
Awaking State was awesome. As usual. Every song flowed well into the next, very high energy and lots of interaction between band members. Having the drummer, Brandon, pull funny faces at me was just hilarious. Equally hilarious, but more likely to send me to hell, is all the times watching the lead singer, Kent, stand on his toes to reach the microphone. I kept thinking to my self he should have just lowered it, he’d be more comfortable.
In the end, the Awaking State set wasn’t long enough, I enjoyed the songs I already recognized from their album & previous show, and the new song was great as well. I didn’t realize one of the songs was a cover, but the crowd seemed to enjoy it.
It’s just too bad clubs rarely fill up until after midnight. Because everyone who was shaking their money maker on the dance floor as the booze was flowing missed out on a great set.
Lord knows when Awaking State will play next, but I’m sure I’ll be there!
