If you’ve never been to The Delaware House before, there’s a good reason: It’s a random house on Doty Street. But last Saturday night it also served as a venue for Soul Low, The Delphines, Alta and Young Holidays, all bands from Milwaukee, and Brighter Arrows, from Chicago.
Let me explain how I found out about this event before reviewing the venue and bands, because it was a very unlikely place for a concert. I had heard the band Brighter Arrows before, so when I saw they were coming to Madison I wanted to check them out live. It said online that the event was at The Delaware House, which I had never heard of. That was pretty much it.
Unfortunately, the people who made the event didn’t divulge a start time or say in what order the bands were playing. It also took a bit of wandering (and listening) to actually find the right house because the address online was incorrect, which I’m assuming was to avoid a noise complaint. So I missed Brighter Arrows, but I did manage to see The Delphines and Young Holidays, the last two bands to play.
Young Holidays have a very fun sound. They definitely play with a garage-pop feel—lots of simple melodies and chord progressions done with a slightly muddy twang. At the same time, they incorporate a lot of little, unexpected things.
For example, songwriter Max Holiday clearly spent a lot of time making all the transition sections. Unlike much of pop-influenced music, Young Holidays move from section to section casually. It is difficult to predict what’s going to happen. Often pop songs give themselves away through an obvious build-up section, but Young Holidays do their best to avoid this.
Although Young Holidays’ self-titled EP is not totally conventional pop, it sure is catchy. The trebly guitar parts and Holiday’s wide range of vocal timbres make it difficult not to groove to their tunes. With titles such as “Saturday” and “Teenager,” Holiday, only 22 years old, certainly sings right to college-age audiences.
The Delphines also play with a unique style, relying heavily on a low-fidelity, high-reverb sound and the sweet-but-simple voice of singer Jami Eaton. Fear, their EP, really hinges on the superb lyrical work.
Compositionally, the instrumental parts aren’t that spectacular. The drummer only uses a snare and floor-tom. The Delphines have a pseudo-minimal and new wave feel to them. This isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing, but some people may not like how it sounds.
If there’s one thing that makes The Delphines worth listening to, it has to be Jami Eaton’s soothingly girlish voice. I automatically fall in love with any woman who sings about malt liquor (as should you), but beyond that, there is something perfectly ethereal about Eaton’s vocal tone.
I’m not quite sure where I stand in regards to The Delaware House. The place was obviously not designed for concerts, so space was tight. However, the price was exactly right: free.
Normally I’m a huge advocate of house shows, so I hope if the people at The Delaware House decide to host another concert, they organize and promote it a bit better.
As for the bands? They’re probably worth looking into:
Young Holidays/ Young Holidays EP: B
The Delphines/ Fear EP: B
