By Chyrisse Tabone, Rock At Night Tampa
Venue: The Crowbar Ybor, Tampa, Florida-September 16, 2019–The Coathangers with support by Glove
It was dead quiet in Ybor City when I walked from the parking garage to the venue, but boy, when I walked in, there was a room packed with pogo dancers and 80s aficionados, as local Tampa band Glove, was playing their brand of Millennial ”New Wave” music. Armed with synths and the usual garage band artillery-guitar, bass, and drums-the band cranked out songs to a happy, dancing crowd. In light of losing Ric Ocasek this week, it was heartwarming to see some of the Millennial bands starting to revive the genre.
Next up, hailing from Atlanta, pop-punk riot grrls The Coathangers stepped out onto the small, dimly lit stage. The diminutive Minnie Coathanger (Meredith Franco) stood at stage-left, and calmly plucked the bass strings as Crook Kid Coathanger (Julia Kugel) stood at stage-right, wailing into the mic and thrashing her sea foam green Fender Mustang. Power house drummer Rusty Coathanger (Stephanie Luke) growled into the mic, never missing a beat, and giving the drums a good pounding all night.
It was a pop-punk dance party as the crowd, which consisted of 20-something guys and gals, and surprisingly, a lot of men with receding hairlines, pogo dancing, with arms raised. The Coathangers, whose repertoire favors both New-Wavey B52’s sound to hardcore punk, attracted a good mix of people on a Monday night–and a very enthusiastic crowd at that! Even Luke mentioned, “I’m feeling the vibe in here—and not trying to sound hippy or anything.”
Songs that really generated energy and fist raising were “Fuck the NRA”, “Shut Up”, and the very catchy “Watch Your Back”. The show in Tampa was raucous, fun, and energizing, as the band had the crowd eating out of their palm. Really, The Coathangers are a force to be reckoned with—and a must-see live band. Check them out!
You can follow the band on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and their website
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I grew up in a household full of rock music, studied journalism in college, and then became a scientist.Although my science career has served me well, music has always played a major role in my life. I grew up reading "Creem" magazine; I play several musical instruments as a "hobby";and it seems a camera has always been in my hand. Now, I am combining what I love the most--music and photography--serving as editor of Rock At Night. I travel between the US and UK seeking my dream! My motto: life is short...no regrets. Chyrisse
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