Militarie Gun tore up the Bottleneck with Liquid Mike and Public Opinion

8 hours ago

Nick Spacek,

Militarie Gun. // photo by Nick Spacek

Militarie Gun
with Liquid Mike and Public Opinion
The Bottleneck
Wednesday, October 29

Touring in support of the recently released God Save the Gun on what they’re calling The Bad Idea Tour, Los Angeles punk-adjacent rockers Militarie Gun took to the Bottleneck stage on Wednesday night. While it was cold and windy outside, inside the rock was hot. The crowd wasn’t nearly as packed as I’d thought it would be, but when you consider that the Gun has been through pretty regularly the last couple years and it was a school night, the turnout was pretty respectable.

Kicking off their set with “B A D I D E A,” Militarie Gun’s headlining set immediately had the crowd shouting along to the titular spell-out and moving around like they’d been waiting to hear this live for ages. The energy would continue on throughout the band’s hour-long run through God Save the Gun‘s highlights like “Very High” along with Life Under the Gun standouts “Will Logic” and “Do It Faster.”

Liquid Mike. // photo by Nick Spacek

Michigan’s Liquid Mike plays music that is kinda punky, definitely rocking, and a little power pop. In addition to the usual guitar/bass/drums, they have a fifth member on synth and trumpet, giving their catchy songs something a little bit extra. Add in a cover of Guided By Voices’ “Salty Salute,” and I think they might be my favorite musical discovery of the year. Their harmonies and ever-so-slightly rough-hewn melodies remind me a lot of Lemuria, and with six albums released in the last five years, there’s a lot to dig into.

Public Opinion. // photo by Nick Spacek

The Denver band Public Opinion was described to me right before they went on as “like the Hives, but more punk,” and that’s about 75% correct. You can hear it vocally and in a few of the guitar lines, but they’re just as indebted to early ’00s pop punk. The combination of styles made for a kickoff to the night, which ably set the tone with hooks galore.

All photos by Nick Spacek

Militarie Gun