Fog rolled across the Aggie Theatre stage on Oct. 22, and the crowd stood close enough to the stage that most of the room could have reached out and touched it. Drinks in hand, people hung around in groups of friends, and the night felt more social kickback than a concert. On the bill were four local bands, all fairly new to the scene, and every one of them was playing to a room that knew them.

That’s the central bond of a showcase like this, with bands sharing friends, venues and green rooms. There was a friendly and comfortable mood as each band took the stage and made the way for the previous. Midriff and Blind Driver opened the night, and the bands spent breaks between their songs cheering on Ember, whose self-titled album debuted that night. Blind Driver, a five-piece, mixes pop punk, alternative rock and the kind of classic ’90s dad rock that’s easy to sing along to. Their sound is raw and throaty, and a lot of rage-y emotion comes through in the vocals. The band is relatively new, but they play like they’ve known each other for years, with a comfortable chemistry that made their set easy to settle into. Between songs, they shouted out the other bands on the bill, elevating the audience’s excitement for Ember.

Midriff is a four-piece with a dreamy, emo-leaning indie rock sound. Deep, raw vocals sit alongside breathier ones, and the band plays with real oomph. They also had chants worked out with their fans, and the room shouted them back loudly. The band recently put out its first single, “Pulling Teeth,” on streaming platforms, and an EP is planned before the end of the year. Playing a bill this stacked didn’t seem to rattle them. “It’s just like a big friend hangout,” they said. After their set, they went downstairs to the green room, where the other bands praised their performance. “We’re very supportive,” another said. The stress, they said, comes from it being a big show, not from who else is on it. In Fort Collins, they said, “it feels like everyone’s like rooting for each other.” The members said they draw a mix of genres, the Music District and FoCo MX, and a small enough community that everyone knows each other. Next on their list is playing outside Fort Collins, in Denver or Boulder, and maybe a small tour.

When Clementine starts their set, you can feel that they have been here a million times before. Their confidence rolls off of them like the fog blowing around on stage; in the immediate jump into their loud frantic drumming and the buzz of the guitars… oh wait is the drummer singing? The two vocalists offset each other well, the grungy sound backed up by shockingly good screaming technique for men of their stature. Their crowdwork is awesome, I always can get drawn up into a good chant, and so has the Fort Collins community, judging by the reaction in the crowd as soon as the L4L chant begins. The Clementine(ettes?) on stage were also a hilarious addition to the set. They perform loudly, quickly and confidently, and bring such a unique energy with them as they perform. 

Ember debuted their first album, self titled “Ember”. It is composed of their usual sound, grungy shoegaze, with the ethereal duo melodies sung by guitarist Trixie and vocalist Vinni. Their soft voices wound throughout the album, giving a nice balance and uniqueness to the sound. All five of the members filled up the stage nicely, and started off with the song “Drive U Home”. The pedals on all the instruments are quickly engaged, and their signature drone intermixed with Vinni’s vocals fills the room. They go through “Cigarette”, where the isolated guitar riffs give the song an almost “Deftones off of Koi no Yokan” feel, then into “Mud” followed by “Sink” and “Pocket”. The distinctness of each part is very well thought through, each song has satisfying lines of harmony threaded throughout. They also played an unreleased song, “Bug”, and its sound could have easily fit right onto the rest of the album. Many of the members are multi-instrumentalists, with some guitar/drum switch action happening in the middle of the set. This opened up for the inclusion of a third vocalist, Jacob to add another layer of satisfying harmony. “Awful Heat” brought in a trumpet, which added such a resonant treble layer to their sound. Each song is so balanced in its composition, and they are such a fun band to watch and see the development of.

Four bands, four different sounds, and one room that stayed full and loud from the first set to the last. What the night showed is that these bands, most of them only a year or two in, are growing, and they’re doing it alongside each other. The cheering for Ember all night, the green-room compliments and the shoutouts between sets all point the same way. Midriff has a single out and an EP on the way. Blind Driver and Clementine are building crowds that already know their songs and chants. Ember now has an album to its name. For a local scene, that’s a good night’s work.