I arrived at Lemp about 15 minutes or so before the Ultraviolents played their opening set.  After a brief sound check, the St. Louis based foursome dove head first into a set of noise powered shred rock fueled and driven by effects laden guitar and saxophone for their wall of noise approach.  Their songs are aggressive and sometimes off kilter, yet their music has a somewhat secure base in indie/art rock circles.  While I was unfamiliar with the band’s songs there’s something here that has me curious about what will happen to the Ultraviolents as the down continues down somewhere down the road.  I need to see this band again before I fully make a judgment.

      After the opening act, We Are Hex arrived and began setting up with speed and precision before kicking off their set.  By the time it was their turn to play, we were all ready.  This band offered up a type of semi art rock meets post HC indie where punk, space rock, indie and noise combine as one.  Blending ethereal guitar sounds with aggressive beats and sometimes moody, even eerie, synthesizers, their songs manage to walk the fine line between spacey chill and in your face rockers.  Hard driving yet somewhat hard to typecast, We Are Hex put on a show that held the crowd and rocked our asses off.  Even though they might give you a case of keyboard envy (looking at their stage rigs, you’ll see why), this band will rock you in their own unique way.  If you get a chance to see We Are Hex, by all means do so and feel free to make up your own mind.