Summerdrive’s frontman walked in wearing what I like to call the “Civil Engineer’s Uniform”— a checkered button down, blue jeans, and a respectable pair of heavy boots. He paired this fit with a massive smile and the type of energy that had you questioning whether he had just chugged a Red Bull before this. He bounded around on stage like a polymath golden retriever, bouncing between three mics, a guitar, and a keyboard. I watched each member of the band bask in the crowds energy, eyes alight and smiles wide.
Their true standout quality is their pure enthusiasm: Summerdrive knows there’s no need to play it cool when you know you’ve got it.
Summerdrive bills themselves as a blend of alt-rock and indie pop, and this show delivered a plucky and upbeat sound with long lilting phrasing, although their guitarist teased out some deeper timbre songs throughout the performance. Their true standout quality is their pure enthusiasm: Summerdrive knows there’s no need to play it cool when you know you’ve got it. It’s all too easy to play the role of a disengaged too-cool rocker, but I enjoyed their authenticity far more. With a little more verbal direction to the audience, I bet they could have really gotten the crowd moving.
When I caught up with them after the set, the frontman embraced me like we had been friends forever and said “your energy during our set was so great—actually I have to go take a photo, hang on a minute”. Bouncing around on and offstage, it was hard not to fall victim to Summerdrive’s infectious love of performance.