Last Thursday night, I hung out at Hang Fire for the first time since they got a last-minute, short-term lease extension. (Still no final word on exactly where the bar will be moving in 2016.)
Seeing the diversity of people wandering in the door and feeling the energy of the space, I was reminded again just how vital the Whitaker Street bar and club has been to the Savannah music scene.
It was a really quiet night downtown, but the bar was jumping — sometimes literally — for a free show with local acts Curbdogs and Breakers plus The Hernies from Athens, who kicked the night off with a strong set of what I’ll call garage rock for want of a better term.
I’m super excited about the new Savannah band Breakers (who were profiled last week here at hissing lawns), and I can’t wait to hear the results of their recent recording sessions at Dollhouse Productions. So far, the sound reminds me of new wave-y stuff circa 1990, but there’s a sharp edge live — you get the feeling that lead singer Samford Justice might lose his mind at any moment.
Curbdogs finished off the show by ripping as usual through a high-energy set. Curbdogs has a loyal following at Hang Fire and on the house show circuit, but I’m betting they’ll have a much higher profile around town in 2016.
The lighting is always a struggle for photographers at Hang Fire, so I just resorted completely to flash for this show, with slightly better results than usual.
