By snoadmin
When Uh Oh! Explosion took the stage at DiPiazza’s on Saturday night, the group had a night of dancing and partying on the bill. Indeed, the performance was nothing short of that.
With his microphone wrapped around his neck, lead singer Johnny Bolin, sophomore history major at Cal State Long Beach, continuously bounced from one end of the stage to the next, radiating off high energy. His expertise gave the band an extra charm that made it impossible to turn away from the stage. He was so full of energy that the little stage could hardly house him.
Highlighted by heavy electric guitar and oftentimes screaming vocals, many of their songs took on a comedic approach lyrically.
When the band began playing “The Original Mack” off their newest album “For the Win!,” Bolin’s declaration of, “You know I do it like a porn star” triggered an animated reaction from the room packed to the rafters with teenage girls. Bobbing their hands in the air to the beat of the song, Bolin’s varying high-pitched vocals were reminiscent of electronic-punk band Mindless Self Indulgence, minus the crude onstage antics.
In the same lively manner, the performance became similar to a high school pep rally when the crowd chanted along to the lyrics in one song that said, “Pump, pump, pump it up / Pump that Uh Oh! spirit up.” With Bolin standing atop an amp at the front of the stage and extending his microphone to the crowd for reinforcement, the tune was repeated a few times over until it stuck.
The band’s cover of “Shout” by Isley Brothers called for all audience members to squat when the band crooned, “A little bit softer now,” repeatedly. Looking out into the crowd, the intimate venue was lined with a sea of heads, all keeping close to the floor until Bolin instructed everyone to rise at the count of three. “1, 2, 3!” and the crowd sprang to their feet, subsequently jumping and yelling along to the familiar chorus.
Cleverly placed near the end of their set list, “Shout” turned the crowd that was once a few steps past languid into a giggly, screaming mess.
Before the band completed the night with their single “D.G.A.F. 187,” Royal took a last swig of water and spewed the liquid onto the faces of the ecstatic fans in the first few rows.
Uh Oh! Explosion’s most recent album entitled “For the Win!” is available for purchase on iTunes now.
