In-store: Hooded Fang

Hooded Fang

Sonic Boom. Saturday, November 13, 2010.

With the formal release party for their debut album (descriptively titled Album) a couple weeks away, Hooded Fang decided to mark the occasion a bit closer to the day with a visit to Sonic Boom's basement. A nice chance to drop in for an early-ish set in the relaxed space. There'd be a more event-like vibe at the release party proper, but here there was a chance to focus on the songs with a smaller, more attentive crowd.

With some rock'n'roll parents parents bringing small fry along, the band was delighted to play to the youngest members of the crowd — especially bassist April Aliermo, who made a special dedication to "anybody who's a twirlybird, a wandering hamster, a cycling giant, a pouncing puma, or if you're ten years old and under."

Launching with "Laughing", there was a little bit of feedback in the first couple songs that couldn't mask the smooth sounds underneath. Plus, it was good to hear Lorna Wright's voice — which can sometimes get lost in the mix — right up front from the outset. The band played "Land of Giants" from their earlier EP (descriptively titled EP), but otherwise it was all Album material, including an nicely bouncy take of "Sleep Song".

Playing somewhere less raucous than a crowded bar room gave the band a chance to do some of their relatively quieter material without having to play over a layer of drunken chatter, and "Almost Done" really stood out here. Finishing off with "Highway Steam" and "Love Song", the band played ten songs over nearly forty minutes, pretty much a full set. Definitely enough to hold one over until the proper album release show.

Listen to a track from this set here.