Prior to A Sunny Day In Glasgow taking the stage at the Replay Lounge (Lawrence, KS) on November 24, the local opening act Burger Kingdom completed their set and demolished the remains – flipping over a drum set and chucking the lone guitar at the four foot amp. Personally I didn’t agree with the lead singer yelling, “More like off-core!” but who am I to judge? I thought they did pretty well…
While writing a review of ASDIG’s most recent album Ashes Grammar just a week before, I had the feeling it was a bit overwhelming and pretentious at first but with some special attention I came to adore the layered collection of dream pop. If I had to isolate myself with headphones, how was seeing the sound come to life going to turn out? Surprisingly, it went well.
ASDIG opened up with Ashes Grammar’s “Failure” and “Shy.” The lead brains behind ASDIG, Ben Daniels, preferred to stay off to the side behind his Roland S404 sampler while Jen Goma and Annie Frederickson gracefully flaunted their pop inspired dance skills and vocal abilities which possessed a surprisingly welcome sexiness – most prevalently during “Passionate Introverts (Dinosaurs),” the most entertaining performance of the night. Props must given to the drummer of Burger Kingdom for grabbing Josh Meakim’s microphone and drunkenly slurring, “They sound a lot better the closer you get to the stage” before the song began. And indeed they did. “White Witch” was also a standout performance for ASDIG that night, displaying their cohesiveness.
The crowd remained engaged for the rest of the show as ASDIG bounced from familiar numbers off Scribble Mural Comic Journal and Ashes Grammar. Overall, the small number of people inside the Replay didn’t reflect the scope of talent that ASDIG casually possess. They’re not for everyone; however, they came to please, and did please, those genuinely interested in what they have become.
by: Bene Garcia
