So, you want a pop band? Look no further than The Band Camino.
Sometimes a musician veers through the alternative music industry so particularly that their road map just leads them back to pop. We’ve seen this trend constantly with stars like Katy Perry, who started on the Warped Tour circuit, and Kesha. The alternative genre is certainly a place to experiment before priming music into pop perfection. Alt music is forgiving, and the audience even more so. There are slices and subgenres aplenty to test your wits and your work.
The Band Camino aren’t pop stars, though.
The Band Camino are musicians who clearly care about crafting a shiny new song in a way that, while palatable to your average listener, doesn’t erase the years of hard work, growth, and rock edge that they devoted themselves to.
At Brooklyn Paramount, they showcased their rock-inspired pop against a perfect back drop. The venue itself is golden, chic, and shiny as it’s adorned with elaborate theater detail. Very few bands make sense to play there, but The Band Camino has never looked more in their element. They brought the edge, and the venue just complimented their glittering electric sound.
The Band Camino are everything Chase Atlantic could have been if they had dropped the hyperpop production, and they’re everything The 1975 would have been if only their egos hadn’t drowned them.
Jeffery Jordan (vocals/guitar), Spencer Stewart (vocals/guitar), and Garrison Burgess (drums) took the Brooklyn Paramount stage and immediately intoxicated every attendee. The truth is, they somehow approach that step that’s right before a rock band, still holding onto what made boyband pop great while also bringing an elevated sense of maturity. With catchy choruses also comes the music mix and production that keeps them off most Hot 100-listener radio waves (she wrote positively).
The band started in 2015, which is ever present in some of the older tracks. Their music, while clearly was somewhat inspired by their Warped Tour emo counterparts, still has the charm of a 5 Seconds of Summer boyband stereotype. As the band grew, and The Band Camino had a chance to develop as artists, it’s obvious music theory became far more important to their mix.
And, while live, The Band Camino manages to bridge the gap between old and new pop. The dual vocal aspect keeps fans on their feet as they clock into the rotation occurring on stage, which isn’t always easy to do. The pressure of one lead vocalist can often force the stage dynamics to become too reliant on just one person and get stale quickly. On the contrary, what might be difficult to some bands, seems to come naturally to The Band Camino. Bouncing between vocals is an obvious strength for the band, and they lean heavy into that for their live shows, similar, though not as drastic, as the tactics of Daisy Grenade.
Plus, it’s not lost on me that the rockstar sex appeal is certainly a part of their shtick. A typical pop band can stand on their own and play a few radio hits. When, as a band, you refuse to push that mainstream line too far, you’re challenged with making sure your stage presence does the talking, and The Band Camino can rise to the occasion. From their strategic lighting choices to a steamy fog rolling over the audience, The Band Camino found the balance between star power and “just some guys.”
In the crowd, the women were transported into a fangirl state, with fan project materials even being passed through the audience. However, again, women. The band isn’t for your typical young boyband audience. It’s for adults, and the women there value the music for its complexity in spite of the pop sound. They, like myself, can see the depth the band chooses to put in a genre that’s often deemed shallow. Women are typically at the forefront of what is cool, so I’d recommend following their lead.
By the way, to make matters even better, they’ll be going on tour with 5 Seconds of Summer later this year. So, if you’re looking for a double whammy of edgy pop perfection, the opportunity is right in front of you.
READ MORE:
PHOTO GALLERY: Simple Plan’s Bigger Than You Think! Tour dazzles in Denver
FROM THE VAULT: What sort of drugs does Broadside put into their live shows?
