This article is fourth in a series covering Exclaim! Magazine’s Class of 2026 concert lineups. To buy tickets to an upcoming Class of 2026 show, click here.

To see all of Henry Klein’s photos of the night, view our photo gallery here!

Henry Klein – Instagram

January 17th at the Monarch Tavern was full of sonic curveballs. The evening featured Gimmerjean & Goode, The Slow Drags, and the Kewpie Dolls as a part of Exclaim!’s Class of 2026, which automatically imbued me with high hopes. Every single other night of the month-long event had a name I recognized or a band I’d be excited to see, except for this one. While doing some preliminary research, two things struck me: all of the bands have significantly less Spotify listeners than those booked for other dates, and the Kewpie Dolls have clearly used AI to generate their profile art. These findings struck me as odd, considering how stacked the lineups are for every other evening. Who were these people, why hadn’t I heard of them, and why were they booked for such a significant event? The throughline for the night seemed to be rock of the ‘50s and ‘60s, which felt miscellaneous in comparison to genres of previous nights. Still, I figured I’d give it a shot. Press pass secured and photographer in tow, I assumed that it couldn’t possibly be that bad. 

Without expecting it, I’d landed myself in the middle of a millennial’s wet dream, dead sober and freshly off nicotine. A terrible combo, especially when you’re in a room full of too-tight, high waisted pants that are clearly passé. The early crowd reminded me of an office Christmas party: everyone’s too loud, too drunk, and trying much too hard to appear cooler than they are. Wide-brimmed hats, tall boots, and polyester clothing made to look vintage were the prevailing aesthetic. Looking around the room felt like how listening to Coldplay feels. The house music matched this energy, with plenty of yodeling, hey-ho hipster beats, and strangely country tunes. My photographer and I were the only people under 30 present for the entire night, a fact we actually wagered an overpriced pint on. Needless to say, I felt out of place. 

The night started with Glimmerjean & Goode, a sextet that rolled up to the stage in matching red button-down shirts. Nothing screams rock n’ roll like a little kitsch, right? Guitarist Scotty B. Goode even sported a wide headband and a shiny leather vest. While I generally didn’t mind the instrumentals, the vocals felt a little lackluster. I found that lead singer Linny Gillard was affecting a harsh rasp that didn’t achieve the desired rock n’ roll effect. Gillard attempted to imitate a powerful vocal that was unsuccessful, which detracted from the impact of the set. At times, it sounded like the instruments couldn’t fall into step with one another, almost like a musical lover’s spat. I would have much rather heard more of the keyboardist, whose keys guided the performance and gave us a taste of the sound that Glimmerjean & Goode were hoping to achieve. Her backing vocals were high and sweet, smoothing the edges of their performance. Watching Glimmerjean & Goode wasn’t the most exciting either, aside from Gillard’s vaguely Stevie Nicks arm movements. Perhaps the stage was too small for such a large group, but they seemed to shuffle in place with minimal enthusiasm. As much as I’m aware that songwriting is difficult, the lyrics were often painfully cliché. A line like “You’ll be the match and I’ll be the flame” just took away from the performance. The standout moment came when the band deviated from their ‘60s rock sounds and settled into something more modern. The track featured a Killers-esque synth and a four-on-the-floor dance beat. While the audience seemed to prefer the blander, country-adjacent tracks, this one got me excited again. The band wove together several genres that spanned decades: rock, honky-tonk, and self-described motown. While the crowd was eating it up, raising their glasses and clapping along, I found that this set left much to be desired on my end. Towards the end of their set, I began to wonder how this evening fit in with the rest of the Class of 2026. Although I could see the vision, this felt like it suited my parents more than people in my graduating class. 

The evening picked up when The Slow Drags took the stage. Despite what their name might imply, this trio was anything but leisurely, injecting some much-needed energy back into the venue. Their music was sharp, bright, and reminded me of Elvis. It goes to show how much active performance elevates the experience, because these guys truly gave it their all. Even through the occasional stumble and shaky high note, their excitement was palpable. While all three musicians sang, the sharpest vocals came from drummer Owen Wolff. He kept a steady, driving rhythm full of heavy tom beats while delivering energetic, driving vocals. This band made me feel like dancing. They changed tempos seamlessly, building anticipation throughout. I was glad to be revived by this trio, especially when singer/guitarist Murray Robe insisted “C’mon, it’s Saturday night, you’re fuckin lucky to be alive!” If I wasn’t awake before their set, their occasional hoots and hollers between songs were enough to do so. The Slow Drags raced through their set, leaving me wishing they were headlining. So even though this wasn’t what I expected from Exclaim!’s event, this lively performance is what I would have wanted to see more of.

Last up were the Kewpie Dolls, which unsatisfyingly landed somewhere between riot grrrl and swing. Taking the stage in vintage-inspired matching letterman sweaters, I got the sense that this quartet might be more focused on aesthetics over music. Again, we’d unfortunately returned to a lack of energy on the stage. There was half-hearted growling into the microphone that lacked  the physical grit to back it up. Rather than trying to balance between two disparate genres, I wish they had just committed to the garage side of their sound. I liked the call-and-response elements of their set, especially with their more ‘60s inspired sounds. It reminded me of a tougher version of “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Out of all the bands, they had the tightest instrumentation, which was nice to hear. The bass tone was loud and gorgeously rumbly, grounding their weaker elements, namely the vocals which fell short. As a headlining act, their set was neither here nor there, leaving a sour taste in my mouth near the end of the show. 

I’m sad to say that this night disappointed me, considering the caliber of both Exclaim! and the other bands that are performing throughout the event. I wanted to have more fun than I did, but this wildcard of a lineup didn’t meet my expectations musically or in terms of performance. I’m left questioning why these bands were put together, and why in this order? It feels like a complete alienation of Class of 2026’s target audience and ethos. For the scattered bright spots that were present in each of the band’s sets, I was left wanting more than what I got. I haven’t lost all hope, but summer school might not be a bad option.