Hot Hot Heat Blazes Bogarts

I recently saw Hot Hot Heat perform at Bogarts. Thanks to my good buddy in Wilmington, NC for recommending them to me! The band hails from Vancouver, B.C., and their tour follows the release of their second studio album, Elevator, which they produced with a major label (Sire). Make up the Breakdown, their first album, was released by Sub Pop, the famous Seattle-based label that recorded Nirvana's Bleach and the music of other grunge acts. Hot Hot Heat, however, falls into a different genre. Whereas the 90s adamently rejected much of the 80s, the new millennium seems to be finding its way back to the sound of New Wave. Groups like the Killers and Franz Ferdinand are also bringing this retro sound to the mainstream.

Hot Hot Heat's sound is more gritty and simplistic than some of the other 80s-inspired groups that tend to rekindle the denser synthesized textures of Duran Duran and the Psychodelic Furs. Yet Hot Hot Heat's songs are very catchy and tuneful. At the show, the lead singer, Steve Bays, pranced around the stage like a true pop star. I was a bit shocked by the Roger Daltrey fro and neck scarf he donned. But this overall montage of influences makes the band perfect for the hipster crowd.

Hot Hot Heat's audience at the concert surprised me. Perhaps the band's recent invitation to the world of MTV has introduced them to droves of teens. Unlike other performances at Bogarts where I fit in well among college students and twenty-somethings, I felt ancient at this show. Aside from the slew of minivans that transported much of the audience home after the show, I also found myself alone in the beer line. Still, I'm happy to see such a young crowd interested in good music. Better they're at Bogarts to see Hot Hot Heat than at the Pavilion to see Hillary Duff.