Green Club and key club promised to shock the island last Saturday, and I think everyone can agree that they accomplished that!
A frequent friend of the Seahawk asked two journalists-myself, and Rowan Tull-to go there and write about the experience.
We started the night by entering the train station, which was a gorgeous venue while a little packed. The century-old floors and beamed ceilings provided the perfect canvas for the music, with lights that would bounce off of it.
Excitement brewed as people flooded the space, chattering and talking. One could tell the anticipation was building!
Our first performer was Chaos, with impressive instrumentals that were shocking for sure!
We had a welcome speech from some of the people responsible for putting the function on, including members of the Anacortes music project and Green Club. Briefly before, the whole crowd seemed to fall into the music and the setting when Kaisson kicked off the night with several of their original songs. One of them is squid boy, which is always a fan favorite!
The crowd jumped up and down and moved with the commotion of a roaring fire for much of the night, but when Kaisson was on stage, this effect was even greater. One thing that can be said is Kaisson is a master at interacting with the audience and sparking energy in the crowd.
Next in line, we had one of the strongest performers at rock the island, Metanoia. The Lead singer Hailey Claridge had a broken arm, but that didn’t stop her from rocking the crowd as she has done in the past. Her lyrics were as saucy as they were sweet, and it only melted and contoured the band’s typical punkish sound, fresh with teenage angst and yet strangely nostalgic.
Barely Funktioning came on after a brief intermission, and while there was a change in audience and vibe, it was a welcome one. They played a variety of funk-Esque music that sounded straight from the 1970s with its plucky twang and backdrop of classic electric guitar. The change in tone was a respite for the ears and a nice change of pace!
Shortly after a few songs from Barely Funktioning, there was a brief intermission from Lucy Shanin on behalf of all that the Green Club is doing to support our community, which was notable because the Green Club at our high school was foundational in creating this event. They partnered with the Anacortes Music project, and there was a strong presence of their involvement there that night, with Green Club members at the door offering sales to help garner support.
Directly after this, Enter stage Shame!
Many know that Shame was a co-winner of Rock the Island back in January, and they showed up this event just the same. They played a few favorites, including psychopathic paradise. It is impossible to say that they were anything less than impeccable with the combo of Will Micclintock’s guitar skills and the lead vocalist Michael Hanrahan’s charged lyrics.
And while going on about the lineup of coordinated performances paints a picture of the night, it wouldn’t tell half the story if we forgot to mention the fight scene!
In the middle of Shame’s performance, two costumed figures, one dressed as the dark knight himself and one dressed as the joker clad in green and purple and a giant red grin, broke into the middle of the jammed crowd.
They seemed to almost ball dance across the floor, as the joker started the fight, almost gaining an advantage over batman; however, eventually, batman-as he always does-prevailed and knocked him down to the floor, slamming him on the floor again and again and punching him over and over and over with a crowd of entertained onlookers, phones whipped out.
Obviously, this was a friendly event. There was no blood or actual punches thrown, and after the brawl, they dusted off, got up, and shook hands. But it definitely built on the jovial mood of the event and was quite a sight!
Our journalists had to leave for the last 30 or so minutes of the event after an impressive solo performance of House of the Rising Sun by Jonah. While wonderful, it was rather deafening standing in the room and photographing for as long as the event lasted. In any right, we had seen all we needed to.
We heard good things later about the last part of the show, which included a showstopping performance by Sudden Deth, and there was a lot of chatter about a crowd performance of Fight for your right to party that wrapped up the night with a bang, or so to speak the Monday after.
To describe the entire affair would take lots more detail and many more pages; however, these are a few of the highlights. It proves a testament to how our community can come together and unite for a night of fun in a truly unique Anacortes way. The Green Club and the Anacortes music project both deserve kudos for the work they poured into it and all of the people unmentioned, musical guests and those behind the scenes alike. It was a night of emotion and enthusiasm and garnered a position in the crown of wonderful student events this year.
here are a few pictured from the event:
