CONCERT REVIEW: New Politics At The Bourbon In Lincoln

Dreamers and The Wrecks were their opening acts

Out front of The Bourbon entrance in Lincoln, NE. Photo by Dean Birkheimer.

Bourbon Theater, Lincoln, NE on February 25, 2018

“We got the message, I heard it on the airwaves. The politicians are now DJs” – From the song “The Politics of Dancing” by Re-flex

Hot off the heels of the Starset “demonstration”, I once again find myself at The Bourbon in Lincoln Nebraska to shoot-n-review The New Politics, Dreamers and The Wrecks.

Just this past October and November The Wrecks were headlining their own “Robot Army” tour. The band consists of Nick Anderson (vocals), Aaron Kelley (bass), Nick Schmidt (guitar), Westen Weiss (guitar) and Billy Nally (drums).  As the band took the stage they were greeted with screams that were reminiscent of a 1960’s Beatles show.  I’ve not seen an opening band so energetically welcomed as this band was.  Wasted Youth was the first song and it was immediately apparent as to why this band was so zealously received.  Let me throw some bands at ya, Jet, The Strokes, The Killers, The Vaccines, Cage The Elephant and just for fun, some Pixies.  All those bands provided seasoning for what The Wrecks were serving.  This band is only one song in and has already created a super high energy atmosphere that only intensified as the set continued.  I Don’t Like You was next and it featured Nick A’s vocals.  In January of this year The Wrecks released “Panic Vertigo” it was at this point we were treated to a triplet of new releases.  The title track Panic Vertigo was first, followed by Way With Words and James Dean.  Based on those three songs, it’s clear I will soon be owning a copy of this EP.  The final song was Favorite Liar, it was last for a reason. This was their best song of the night. It was the Mariano Rivera of songs. A perfect closer.  The Wrecks and their fan base are going to continue to grow, I strongly urge you to catch them as soon as you can.


THE WRECKS SET LIST:
WASTED YOUTH – I DON’T LIKE YOU – PANIC VERTIGO – WAY WITH WORDS – JAMES DEAN – TURN IT UP – FAVORITE LIAR



The Wrecks
would be a tough act to follow and whomever came out next had better have talent enough to keep the audience energized.  Out steps Dreamers and any concern of a let-down is quickly erased as they were more than capable of sustaining if not increasing the venues intensity level.  This is a three piece band that formed in New York and includes Nick Wold (lead vocal, guitar), Marc Nelson (bass, backing vocal), and Jacob Lee Wick (drums, backing vocal).  My first impression of them was, dang these guys are cool and sure enough, after a little research I learn that they were declared “one of the coolest band in LA” by Paste Magazine.  Their set list will have you working hard to keep up with their speed, or will emotionally drain you with their lyrics. An example of this is the song Bleed Through.  It was explained to us by Nick that this song is about suicide, but even more so about the remorse of self-destruction that may occur right after jumping off a bridge, or after taking a handful of pills. This piece was executed elegantly.  Another awesome moment came right after Bleed Through, but first a little history. About a month before Dolores O’Riordan passed, the Dreamers recorded a cover of Zombie, it has become their tribute to her and to her band the Cranberries. When they performed it, you could absolutely tell that every word sung, every string picked or plucked and every skin or cymbal hit came from their hearts and souls.  Their set list was pulled from their 2016 LP “This Album Does Not Exist” and from their upcoming 2018 summer release. We got to hear a few tracks from it and based on that, I will be sure to add it to my collection.  Catch these guys when and as often as you can and remember, as they have said in the past, “We are enchanted.  We are asleep to the waking world. We are DREAMERS.”


DREAMERS SET LIST:
WOLFS – TO THE FIRE – LAST LOVE SONG – BLEED THROUGH – ZOMEBIE (Cranberries Cover) – KARMA – DRUGS – PAIN – SWEET DISASTER


I’ve shot The New Politics in the past. It was June 2017, and I actually shot them in Lincoln at the Lincoln on the Streets festival with 311 and The Skints. I remember it being just a freakin’ blast.  The New Politics have not changed. They are still full of enthusiasm and intensity. Right from the opening song, Istanbul to Lifeboat we are just simply barraged with sound and lights.  Things slow down a bit during Lifeboat and Color Green, but they don’t stay that way long.  Lead singer David Boyd entertains us with not just his voice, but also with his dancing skills as he does head spins and break dances for our enjoyment.  Louis Vecchio on drums is just vicious. He is so animated behind his kit which is set up at the front of the stage instead of in the back. On guitar is Seren Hansen. His liveliness in unmatched, it’s as if the stage is his gym and he’s trying to lose a few pounds while at the same time engaging and captivating us. The crowd really enjoyed their 20 song set. The songs from their new album “Lost in Translation” went over very well.  These songs spread a message of solidarity and ask you to take pride in yourself while respecting others.  They ended the evening with a crowd favorite, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah and when they said goodbye, we were thinking, No, No, No. These guys really are a one of a kind experience and they are a band you really need to see live. But beware, it’ll take a solid 24 hours for your eyes to return to normal because of all those crazy lights. 


NEW POLITICS SET LIST:
INSTANBUL – EVERYWHERE I GO – LOVE IS A DRUG – 15 DREAMS – GIRL CRUSH – LIEFBOAT – COLOR GREEN – 50 FEET TALL – DIE 4 U – PEERFECT – CIA – MADELINE – STARDUST – BERLIN – WEST END KIDS – ONE OF U – HARLEM
[ENCORE]
LIFTED – PRETEND WE’RE IN A MOVE – YEAH, YEAH, YEAH


– Dean Birkheimer, Go Venue Magazine Photojournalist [all photos by Dean Birkheimer]

NEW POLITICS
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DREAMERS
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THE WRECKS
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