Smile Empty Soul and Primer 55

Smile Empty Soul is an American Hard Rock band who have been going for about fifteen years. They have earned themselves a loyal following that love and adore anything that they release. They are pretty angsty and have been for their whole career it seems. It is as thought they haven’t transcended; they have just remained the same, writing the same songs, with the same dual guitars playing with plenty of distortion, the same open hi-hats throughout, the same self pity/self indulgent lyrics. Tonight they deliver to this audience almost exactly what the patrons ordered, angry music for angry people. Everyone is dressed in black - if you’re not dressed in black, you get stared out to the point of wanting to leave. “Bottom of a Bottle” opens this show to a large roar from the predominantly male audience. “For You” and “All My Problems” are the drawling mid set songs that sort of keep the “party” as they say going. Fair play, I guess.