Sleep On It at Cornerstone
With Confidence and Broadside are on a co-headlining tour, with Small Talks and Sleep On It opening. I don’t listen to three of those bands, but Sleep On It is probably my favorite current pop-punk band, so I caught my local show at the Cornerstone in Berkeley.
When I walked into the venue, the first thing I noticed was a man in a Don Broco t-shirt with his teenage daughter and young son. I remembered him from Don Broco’s show at the Masonic. He was one of the other few just there for them. He remembered me too, so we chatted for a bit.
Him: “Who are you here for?”
Me: “Sleep On It.”
Him: “Me too!”
Wild coincidence. Two shows in a two week span, and we were there for the same opening band both times. He told me the crowd was weird during the rest of the show at the Masonic too. We couldn’t understand why they weren’t all instantly hooked by Don Broco. I told him how I saw them play with I the Mighty earlier this year and was hooked by the first song.
Small Talks, lead by frontwoman Cayley Spivey, opened this show.
They were good. I wasn’t crazy about ’em, but I liked ’em. Cayley yelling “JUMP JUMP” mid-song was cute.
Then came Sleep On It. I think they are SUPER underrated. They’re really really good.
The sound might’ve been a little off. It wasn’t terrible, but I felt like frontman Zech Pluister could’ve been a little louder. Mostly when he was announcing what song they were about to play, I could never really hear what he was saying.
Unspoken
See You Around
Fireworks
“Fireworks” is probably my favorite of their songs. I love it. It was such a perfect closer.
I’d probably only listened to their new single “Disconnected” once or twice before this show, so I didn’t actually know it yet. Whoops. But it’s a good song. All their music is good.
I do really wish they were a bigger band, though, and played longer sets. One day.
I asked their merch guy if they carried any of their older music. He told me there was a different singer on their older music, which I did not know at the time because for as much as I love their music, I don’t know much about the band members themselves. Anyway, they didn’t carry it, and I’m probably a weirdo for even thinking to ask. I the Mighty used to carry their first album We Speak secretly behind the merch table until they sold all their copies of it. Oh well. Internet it is, I guess.
I think With Confidence and Broadside are taking turns playing last on this tour, so at this show With Confidence came out next.
I stayed for a few songs. They’re not bad. Pretty fun.
I didn’t realize they’re Australian. I’m a little peeved I’ve now seen two Australian bands (these guys and Hands Like Houses) but not the Living End, which is one of my all-time favorite bands, who also happens to be from Australia. Ugh one day.
The venue’s connected to a restaurant, so I left part-way through their set to go eat. I ended up missing Broadside entirely. I couldn’t even name a single song of theirs though, so it was okay with me. I was really only there for Sleep On It.
The man in the Don Broco shirt stopped to shake my hand at the bar before he and his kids left.
Him: “See you at the next show. What’s that band you like?”
Me: “I the Mighty?”
Him: “When do they play?”
Me: “December 15th, Bottom of the Hill.”
Him: “I’ll be there.”
I really adore the music community sometimes.
