Live music review: Tacocat, Paranoyds brought power-packed shows to Barracuda

Austin Summer heat can be a real bitch.  Step outside and you’re immediately drenched in sweat.  Last Wednesday at Austin’s Barracuda was no different; mosquitoes relentlessly attacking in the stagnant, hot, muggy air on the patio. Meanwhile, the indoor stage at Barracuda offered a relentlessly stacked show featuring Tacocat with support from L.A.’s Paranoyds and Cosmic Chaos. Three bands that know how to attack a crowd like an angry swarm of Texas mosquitoes.

Tacocat

Tacocat has been consistently ascending the rock world for a few years now.  Hailing from Seattle, the four-piece headlined a June show at Barracuda in shiny tops, with the exception of Eric Randall, who rocked lead guitar in an Air Jordan tank top and Nikes. The foursome punctuated the night with an exclamation point of moving musical fortitude. The vocal delivery of singer Emily Nokes rose out of the din of exhaustion (from the stifling humidity), injecting Barracuda patrons with a heavy-hitting dose of auditory adrenaline.  As she led off the set, Nokes had a tambourine in hand, moving to the tempo while interacting with individual audience members. At one point during the performance, she handed her bracelet to a fan standing front-and-center stage.  The gift was offered with sincerity. A sweet gesture by the front woman.

Opening with highly-recognizable “Bridge to Hawaii,” Tacocat immediately clutched the crowd’s attention.  Nokes fluidly delivered vocals as she moved to the music, tambourine acting as an extension of her physical self.  Randall established a prominent guitar accompaniment which was emphasized from the first solo. Bree McKenna (Bass) and Lela Maupin (Drums) seemed in perfect sync while strumming their own rhythm section delivery.  

The set continued with “The Internet,” a guitar-and-bass-synced number that conveys a powerful message in letter form about, evidently…the Internet (shocking right?). The tone and tempo of the show slightly shifted to a slower and seemingly-sentimental pace, with the performance of “Talk,” while maintaining the unwavering vivacity of the overall presentation.  Fans were jubilant to witness live renditions of “New World,” “Hologram” and “Crystal Ball,” along with several other cuts featured on their recently-released LP This Mess Is A Place.

Tacocat concluded the night with “I Hate The Weekend,” an empathetic tribute to service industry workers putting up with nine-to-fivers and salary earners “flooding (their) streets.” There’s a sense of sincerity and awareness that exudes from Tacocat’s live execution of song and audience interaction.  Their set was the ideal coda for a lively production of punk rock elation.

Emily Nokes-Vocals/Tambourine

Bree McKenna-Bass

Lelah Maupin-Drums

Eric Randall-Guitar

Paranoyds

Making their way to Austin from LA, rock four-piece, Paranoyds found a way to beat the Austin heat, each attired in “Buc-ee’s” swimsuits, other than drummer David Ruiz who donned a t-shirt baring the road-trip-favorite convenient store logo. The band is  generating some buzz as Paranoyds have announced the July 12 release of “Hungry Sam/Save Our Sins,” their upcoming EP and Carnage Bargain their debut LP, on September 13. 

As the inside room at Barracuda became more crowded, Paranoyds launched what would be an electrifying performance. Opening with “Pet Cemetery,”  a powerful and catchy track played at a slightly faster tempo live relative to the studio recording. They then speed things up a bit with an impressive and memorable “Bad Idea” and “Hungry Sam.”

Not long into the set did it become more evident that there’s something familiar about the Paranoyds sound, something nostalgic. Once they broke into “Heather,” a pace-shifting track that puts on display the raw talent of the band, specifically David Ruiz on drums for, the amazing crowd appeared to lean in closer, drawn in by the spectacle.

“How do you deal with this heat?” vocalist/guitarist Staz Lindes asked the Austin audience before recalling an adequate answer she’d previously heard… “I’ve been told Austin people take a bunch of naps.” The crowd affirmed with laughter as the show continued with a stirring guitar solo as the drummer strutted, accompanying the loud and energetic delivery of the unforgettable “Maldito.”  

For several cuts, Lexi Funston took over lead vocals, however, each vocalist contributes to every song. The vocal harmonization amplifies their raw vocal power and is utilized adeptly. “Rat Boy” concluded with a powerful keyboard-headed crescendo by Laila Hashemi that electrified the already moved crowd.

Concluding their set with “Bear,” Paranoyds completed a performance reminiscent of the golden era of punk music. There is something refreshing about their music, raw and honest. Their sound is seamlessly edgy yet polished.  With two releases on the horizon and a Summer tour, the future  looks bright for Paranoyds.

Check out Paranoids’ record Carnage Bargain via Bandcamp.

Staz Lindes-Vocals/Guitar

Lexi Funston-Vocals/Bass

Laila Hashemi-Vocals/Keyboard

David Ruiz-Drums

Cosmic Chaos

Entering the stage in overalls of a different color for each member, the Austin psych-punk ensemble, Cosmic Chaos, set the tone for an electrifying evening of punk enchantment.  Opening with “Eye Can See,” vocalist Laura Mendoza formulated a welcoming performance followed, and upping the tempo a bit, with two heavily hard-hitting numbers , “Adrenaline” and “Destroyer.” The uncompromising percussion, including bongos, accompanied with classic punk guitar riffs and a violin, served as a perfect vessel of delivery for Mendoza’s vocals. Chaos effectively shifted to a more jovial tone with “Mais Que Nada,” doing much justice to the Brazilian classic by Jorge Ben.

                

Though missing their saxophone player that evening, Cosmic Chaos meshed with a newly added violinist in unblemished fashion.  As the show continued, it became abundantly clear that this band sincerely enjoys rocking out on stage. Their joy at performing was infectious lending an early good vibe to the evening.

The set concluded with the bongo-laden “Acid Rain,” a rapid-paced track that emphasized a thought that must have crossed the mind of each member of the crowd that evening given the swampy weather. Keep an eye out for Cosmic Chaos, a fresh, new Austin act well worth checking out.

Laura Mendoza-Vocals and Guitar

Sam Blomgren-Keyboard/Guitar/Backing Vox

Nick Crespo-Bass

Trey Gutierrez-Drums

Bailea Woodall-Violin

Jo Villareal-Bongos/Conga/Auxiliary Percussion

David Alvarez-Saxophone