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arts & culture
KANSAN.COM | MONDAY, JUNE 26, 2017
British band Alvarez Kings to play at Riot Room
Alvarez Kings will stop at the Riot Room in Kansas City this Wednesday, June 28 as a part of its U.S. Tour.
RACHEL GAYLOR @raegay218
Contributed Photo
Four lads from South Yorkshire, England, who make up the band Alvarez Kings will stop at the Riot Room in Kansas City this Wednesday, June 28 as a part of its U.S. tour.
Alvarez Kings was founded in 2008 and has described itself as an alternative pop group. The group was originally brothers Paul and Simon Thompson. It added drummer Richard Walker and then guitarist Sean Parkin.
"Simon asked me to join and I originally said no," Parkin said. "Then he took me up to Sheffield one Christmas about five years ago, got me very drunk and made me agree to do a European tour."
The band released an EP in 2015 called "Fear to Feel" that received 40,000 streams in less than 12 hours on Spotify. Its latest album, "Somewhere Between," is its first full-length studio album and was released in April of 2017.
The current tour across the United States is the band's first as a headliner. It has previously gone on tour as a part of the Vans Warped Tour in 2013 and 2014,
and has served as the opener for other groups.
"When you do support tours it's great because you're introduced to new audiences," Parkin said. "But with this, everyone knows your music, they know the album and they come to see you perform that which is humbling if anything, but really cool
to actually get to meet everyone."
Tiffany Bello, a fan and Leawood resident first saw the band during its 2013 Vans Warped Tour stint and is going to see it again this year.
"They were great," Bello said. "They had so much energy, they were very interactive
with the crowd and very welcoming and friendly. They have catchy music that makes you want to dance around, but there is this other part that just makes you completely enjoy the whole vibe from them."
The performance is what Parkin said is the most important aspect
and the thing it prides itself on.
"Ultimately, we just want to go out there and be good musicians," Parkin said. "We play it tight, play it well and perform well. That's our day-to-day life. We absolutely put every bit of effort into every show and convey the emotion that
is coming out in the lyrics and just rock out."
The concert is at the Riot Room's outdoor stage and will feature the band Late Night Cavalry as the opening act. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the venue is 21 years or older. General admission tickets are on sale for $10.
First concert in free series takes up 1000 block of Mass
The 1000 block of Massachusetts Street was blocked off on Saturday for the first-ever "Live on Mass" concert, hosted by The Granada and Eleven Productions.
Kansas City-based band The Get Up Kids headlined the concert, preceded by three acts that all have strong ties to the region. Duo Lili Pryor (daughter of The Get Up Kids' frontman Matt Pryor) & Iris Hyde kicked off the concert, followed by solo artist Kawehi, a Lawrence native, and then Kansas City band Making Movies.
"This show definitely has a home-grown, organic feel to it," said Live on Mass organizer and Granada owner Mike Logan. "It's a pretty special way to start it off."
Missu Minear/KANSAN
Enrique Chi, lead singer for Making Movies, performs at Live on Mass on June 24.
The Get Up Kids perform at the first ever Live on Mass concert in downtown Lawrence. Missy Minear/KANSAN
Missu Minear/KANSAN
People begin to crowd around the stage in downtown Lawrence for the first ever Live on Mass concert. Missy Minear/KANSAN
Missy Minear/KANSAN
n Mass concert
Kawehi performs at Live on Mass
Missy Minear/KANSAN
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