Bad Suns Stun at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville

By McKayla Grace

Photos by Annie Shelmerdine

On Feb. 22, the world found a moment in history to latch on to, a celebration creating a short-lived reprieve from everything unfolding internationally at the time. The date was 2/22/22. And Brooklyn Bowl Nashville was determined to have a good time.

Around 8 p.m., Little Image took the stage, with frontman Jackson Simmons receiving quite a reception. Between bursts of energy, he lumbered about the stage in an all-black ensemble with a muscle tank. The trio played their newest releases, including “Ego,” “Clean” and “WORTH IT,” along with hits from their 2017 album Musings, before making way for Kid Bloom.

The 5-piece band Kid Bloom came out looking similar to LittleImage, with frontman Lennon Kloser strutting in another black tank. But what really drew eyes were his flowing hair and even flowing-ier (This is a word now?) pants. Those striped flares would steal the show, and Kloser knew it, but the lowkey MVP of the set was drummer Josh Conway, who exhibited a “could care, don’t” attitude that can only be described as “drummer snark.” Concert kids, you know what I mean.

Kid Bloom’s psychedelic rock/pop vibe perfectly contrasted Little Image’s alternative, edgy sound. Together, the bands set the backdrop for Bad Suns to make an impactful entrance. Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Ray Libby (guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass/keyboard) and Miles Morris (drums) entered in a blaze with more than a bit of sparkle. Bowman’s black flare jumpsuit flickered with every turn of the light. Kudos to their light engineer, by the way. What a show!

Within the first ten minutes, Bad Suns had already laid down their 2014 crowd-pleaser “Cardiac Arrest,” and the crowd knew this would be a night to remember. Their set was full of old and new songs, from albums Disappear Here and Mystic Truth to fan favorites off their latest Apocalypse Whenever. With such a full setlist, Bowman didn’t spend much time speaking to the crowd, but he did take a moment to acknowledge the 10th anniversary of the band, thanking the fans and everyone who made such a career possible.

It’s rare for a band in this genre to stand the test of a decade and retain all its original members. But Bad Suns is here for the long haul, and energy is only building. 2/22/22 was one for the books. See you in ten years, Bad Suns. Nashville will always have a place for you.