Water Polo, Mike Pays Heat, Reward, Weatherhead and Skinny Dip @ The Mile High House
Text by Tim Mulhern. Images by Emily Scott.
The pipes were frozen at the Mile High House but that did not stop fans of Skinny Dip, Water Polo, Mike Pays Heat, Weatherhead, and Reward from filling the Mile High basement on a frigid Friday night for a show benefiting Project HOME.
The pay-what-you-want show reached capacity early in the evening, as recent Rolling Green Records signees Skinny Dip kicked things off in a packed house. The band kept stage banter to a minimum and drew heavily from their debut EP, released on Bandcamp last month.
Water Polo, who released a three-song acoustic session with Somewhere Sessions late last month, kept the crowd entertained with new tracks and two cuts from its split with Zoo Books.
Mike Pays Heat got the crowd moving with their bouncy, melodic indie punk. The band has kept quiet, with the exception of an EP released last month, but was given a warm welcome to the Mile High stage. Taking cues from bands like Modern Baseball and The Front Bottoms, the group’s upbeat set contrasted nicely with the moodier offerings of Skinny Dip and Water Polo.
Weatherhead took a heavier approach to pop punk and the crowd reacted enthusiastically. Early in the set, frontman Evan King respectfully asked those in attendance to control their forward movement. King was joined on stage by a keyboard player, bassist, and drummer, so performing space was limited, but the band made the most of it, and kept the crowd entertained, who sang along to nearly every word of the band’s set.
Reward closed out the night, and followed closely in the footsteps of Weatherhead, laying down distortion-heavy post-hardcore-inspired punk. Vocalist Rob Blackwell commanded the attention of the audience throughout the group’s performance.
The Mile High House generously donated proceeds from the show to Project HOME, “a Philadelphia non-profit organization empowering individuals to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness through affordable housing, employment, health care and education.”
Mile High’s next show is Feb. 21, featuring Osaka, Brown Rainbow, Buster, Shrink and Wring Out.
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