Review: Half Past Two fans go wild at the Spring Break Ska Social Friday night
March 24th, 2012, 1:19 pm · · posted by GUEST
In a time where indie acts seem to have taken over the music scene, local septet Half Past Two proved that ska is still alive and thriving as it headlined the Spring Break Ska Social, which also featured Kingston A Go Go, the Skank Agents, Buddah Bomb and Failed to Victory, at House of Blues Anaheim on Friday night.
Click here for a photo slideshow of the 2012 Spring Break Ska Social at House of Blues Anaheim.
Trombones, saxophones, and trumpets took center stage, three instruments that haven’t had much play by today’s most popular local bands. Although it’s by no means a new genre, it was refreshing, after countless nights of indie rock, to experience something danceable, with an up-tempo beat coming out of Orange County.
Half Past Two’s performance was certainly the stand-out of the evening. In ensembles of red, black and white, the members came out to a pumped crowd. As the curtain pulled up, most of the room shifted immediately from the bar and onto the dance floor. From beginning to end, the audience did not miss a beat, dancing and singing along to each and every song. At one point, the amped up patrons even formed a conga line that took over the middle of the dance floor.
The only female in the mix, lead vocalist Lindsey Smith, had a commanding stage presence, with her crazy-high vocal range and lively dance moves. She wasn’t the only one dancing, however. Each member of the band also threw in a couple twists and turns throughout the set that added a unique flavor to the performance.
Trombone player, Geoffery Munger, took over for Smith on vocals during the fourth song, showing the diversity of the group’s talents. The set list consisted of all original tracks including cuts off its latest EP Words With Friends. Fans of the band stuck around until well after midnight, and not one showed signs of fatigue or drowsiness. The crowd roared at the end of the closing number and continued the applause as the curtain came down on the evening.
By Cassie Rossel, for OrangeCounty.com. Photos by Jenavieve Belair, for OrangeCounty.com.
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