September 28th marked my first time at the Green Room. It was a very neat venue… at least in terms of looks. It had the air of a very simple and to-the-point dive, and the name The Green Room was no lie as every wall upstairs (where the set did not take place) was green. Somehow, it was immediately hot in the basement, so the staff brought in an industrial-sized fan. The other downside of the venue was the lack of a raised stage, which meant that, had we moshed too much, someone certainly would’ve bounced off the drum set. This venue would be perfect for concerts that feature a less energy- and movement-heavy vibe such as indie rock.

This was the first Sayonara Bap gig I’d been able to catch since they opened for Jaynaic Jr. at Hard Luck on April 15th. I’ve been catching their shows over the course of this year, and it’s been great to see them expand their set list again and again. At this point in time, Sayonara Bap still maintains some great improv jamming, but also have nine original songs that are all really energetic and fun pieces. Although Sayonara Bap’s instrumentation is fairly standard, they’re able to keep things interesting with some great hardcore style vocals. 

Ascension Day opened up this night with a solid set. Because I’ve never seen them before, I’ll reserve most judgement until I have more experience, though they’re for sure a band I’ll come back to. Superficially, they reminded me of Slift: though they feature less electronics, the way their bassist and guitarist throw the lead back and forth is very reminiscent of the acid rock trio from Toulouse.

It was quite a dramatic shift from the tight trio that is Ascension Day to Sayonara Bap’s four member core, sometimes adding a guest vocalist or their acoustic guitarist Steven. All five permanent members of the band started off on stage for their song “Kerosene,” an incredible opener that immediately got everyone in the front dancing right away. You can hear the reception this track receives on the live recording of one of their Horseshoe shows on Bandcamp. You’ll also hear their pet joke, which they used tonight in between songs, that Bap stands for something ranging from ‘Billionaires Aren’t People’ to ‘Bisexual Awareness Program’ and anything in between. Sayonara Bap’s set was filled with constant movement on the side of the audience. Their songs range from, as they say, ‘not math rock’ to alt-rock stuff, as well as art punk. The bass is heavy on some songs, yet knows when to step back and let the guitar have its great riffs as well, though in terms of the vocals some songs have lyrics that get a bit too repetitive for me.

The undoubted highlight of the night was a song called “Worms Against God,” which I won’t spoil here… but it is indeed well-timed. They finished with one of their most popular songs, “The Docks.” This song is a great finale piece, and I’m glad they didn’t open with it like they’ve done in the past. Its lyrics are powerful, with a theme of endurance and loud yet very understandable lyrics with minimal screaming. Underneath this is a guitar line that always drives the song forward, keeping its energy up the whole time.

Overall, Sayonara Bap is a great time as long as you’re willing to get a bit goofy with it. The eclectic, often diverse crowd of punks their shows usually draw along with their very low and literal breakdowns make for high energy gigs with some solid talking bits between the players. And who knows, you might even see the bassist might bring out a drumstick.