Being a Music Ninja requires us to see a ridiculous amount of live shows. From seedy dives, where you’re nervous to use the restroom, to sold out arenas, we’re out there each and every week. Sometimes a lot of the music blends together simply because we see so many live performances. This cannot be said for Nick Waterhouse.
We went to the Larimer Lounge to check out Waterhouse’s show. For those of you who haven’t been, the Larimer Lounge is a tiny venue in a not-so-good neighborhood in Denver. While it can be a little hairy to navigate in and out of the venue, they bring in some amazing indie talent. For this show, we not only got to review Nick Waterhouse, but also a band that he produces – Allah Las.
Allah Las played first, accompanied by Waterhouse at times, and had a California surf rock sound that warmed the crowd up nicely. The music was something you could envision listening to on the beach sometime in the early 60’s. While we would have been content with seeing just them, the show’s impressiveness only grew as Waterhouse took stage. As he went into the first track, people immediately started dancing. Now, for this time of venue, this isn’t something we normally would see. We were almost taken back by the atmosphere that was created. The swingin’ crooner style of Waterhouse filled the room of dancing people, and created an essence of a time that we’re completely unfamiliar with. That night, in that crowd, we were in a different era.
I’m always taken back by artists that can create an experience by going to a show. It’s one thing to see great music being played. It’s a whole different experience the music, the mood, and the intent of the music. Nick Waterhouse creates a scene that’s truly not to be missed.
