The IMPS & Durham Rockers

Call me crazy, but I have never seen the IMPS play before. Maybe we’re on different schedules and have never had the magnetic magnitude (can I say that?) to properly connect, but you can bet your last nacho that I will see them again.
I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. First off, there were the Durham rockers. Now, I’ve been to Durham. Twice. And this band didn’t bring back any of the fond memories of a quaint and quiet farm town. This three man band, which I believe had only a barefooted guitarist and a drummer, was headed by a slim screaming crazy boy. I almost stood up and said “Inside voices, please.” The actual instrumentals were pretty cool but the screaming sort of dragged me down. I can appreciate a good throaty yelp now and then, but not a whole set planned around it. But, they were pretty fucking rockstar. The singer and guitarist took turns jumping up on the side bar, doing the flamingo, and just making that rock ‘n’ roll the kids love it so much. The lyrics were simple and often cliché in that chic sort of way. Hearing “You look so good / you’re face is so pretty / let’s ride ride ride / into the city” contrasting with the hard hitting music was amusing and effective.
The IMPS have caught my eye in many-a-poster throughout the years and until I looked it up in the dictionary I thought the name was just a clever jumble of letters waiting to get attached to a few more (read: pImps, gImps, lImps, sImps?). In fact the name means “small demon or mischievous child.” Imps: use it in a sentence.
It was quite obvious that these boys have some experience under their belts, 12 years to be exact. Their polished, crowd-pleasing indie tunes flow with ease and comfort. It’s the kind of band we take for granted. Never running flat, they often built up suspense, the rock equivalent to a rising beat for E infested dancing ravers. Vocalist and guitarist John McCall oozed spirit from his pores and looked as though he enjoyed playing the songs as much as the fans enjoyed hearing them.
The best part about the IMPS is that their music has no gaps. They’ve developed a thick, flowing sound, that compliments the equally strong vocals. Feet kept tapping and the seats kept shaking, and all I could think of was that these guys are soundtrack material. Also, for all the long term, hardcore fans, the band introduced a couple brand new songs that seemed to go over well.

– Rachel Krampfner

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