Hembree and friends turned The Bottleneck into a Saturday night pizza party

October 15, 2024

Nick Spacek,

Hembree // Photo by Nick Spacek

Hembree w/ The Creature Comforts and Flash Floods
The Bottleneck
Saturday, Oct. 12

Saturday’s night’s Hembree show was one for the books. On one hand, the band was playing sans Garrett Childers, but on the other, they ordered Pizza Shuttle from the stage during their show. That’s like, the wildest thing I’ve seen in ages. Legit, every Hembree show in Lawrence feels like it’s a house party. The opening acts get you psyched, but the headliners put on a set that might as well be a show in someone’s living room or basement, rather than on stage at one of the town’s premiere venues.

For example, bringing out Bodye for “Operators” is exactly the sort of thing that makes this feel like a party, rather than a show. Hey, our friend Marty is on this cut and we’re gonna bring him out, plus someone is gonna play sax. Fuck yes. I’m gonna dance like nobody’s watching because everyone else is.

If the COVID pandemic hadn’t happened, this show would have been at The Granada or Liberty Hall, and I wouldn’t have been able to dap Isaac before they went on stage, and maybe that’s the saddest thing. Hembree should be selling out venues coast-to-coast, dammit, and the fact that their intense and joyous live show isn’t the hottest ticket is a shame.

The pizza showed up just in time for frontman Isaac Flynn’s dad to hop on guitar and The Creature Comforts’ Billy Brimblecom to get on drums while the band’s Austin took to vocals for a cover of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell.” It was both a sing along and party jam, and by the end of the show, I’d worn myself out to the point where I could’ve snagged a pile of bar rags and fallen asleep in a booth.

The Creature Comforts // Photo by Nick Spacek

The last time I saw The Creature Comforts was a Bottleneck reunion far too long ago. The power pop quartet’s songs live in my head from a time when I had good knees and an ability to stay up past 10 p.m. without chemical enhancement. And, I knew that when the band strode onstage, I’d be singing along so much, this would likely be the end of a voice that was already struggling thanks to allergies.

Totally fucking worth it. As a matter of fact, speaking of losing your voice, Chris Tolle had laryngitis and JD Warnock had to take lead vocals on about a day’s notice. He killed it. While lacking Tolle’s rasp, he’s definitely got the range and lung power to knock out songs like “On Hold for the Holidays” and “O.D.E.,” but damn—”Star Motel”? A star turn. “Charmed I’m Sure” and “Sentimental Bliss” made me feel 19 again. Shit, JD rocked so hard during Brian Everard’s bass solo on the former, he lost his guitar strap. The brief sadness of “Tipping the Cash Cow” in between was just a breather before completely wrecking myself on their big radio hit.

Flash Floods // Photo by Nick Spacek

Indie rockers with a touch of country, Flash Floods played their first show with a new member Saturday night. The addition of Bradley McKellip on guitar positively opened up the former trio’s sound. Given McKellip’s track record with Til Willis & Erratic Cowboy and The Roseline, to say nothing of his solo work, makes him the perfect addition to Flash Floods.

The band’s sound is a little more true to the recordings they’ve released thus far, as producer Eric Davis pointed out to me early in their set, and the end result is a live show which ably stood up alongside The Creature Comforts’ experience and Hembree’s road-honed chops.

All photos by Nick Spacek:

Hembree