May 6, 2022

Beach Bunny Brings The Heat To The Waiting Room

Updated: May 6, 2022

Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming

"I'm in love and I don't care who knows it" - Will Ferrell Elf 2003

Indie pop darlings Beach Bunny graced the Waiting Room with their heavenly presence on Wednesday night and I've been floating ever since. (Ok, I'm actually super tired from five shows this week, a Stories from the Crowd first).

Brian caught Lorna Shore in Lincoln Monday (5/2). On Tuesday (5/3) Brian and I both went to The HU in Lincoln (article coming soon), while Virginia covered Dorothy and Joyous Wolf at the Slowdown. I went to Beach Bunny Wednesday (5/4), and tonight we have Omaha Rocks Unplugged IV at the Waiting Room. Whew! I don't do coffee or energy drinks but I'm gonna have to grab a puffy taco at Omaha Taco Co. for sure.

Anyways, Beach Bunny was absolutely incredible. If you don't have them on your radar, fix that right now! They have a new album Emotional Creatures coming out July 22nd and I can't wait. So what happened at the show? Well.....

Ky Voss from Brooklyn opened things up with her dreamy synth-pop bops. The crowd was already packing it in as the show was completely sold out! Though the weather outside was pretty dreary things were crazy hot inside. So hot that someone in the front passed out and had to step out for some air. Dave Campbell and his crew jumped into action quick and took care of the young fan. The band stopped and made sure everyone was ok. Pretty soon they were back to the dance-pop grooves. Ky mentioned that one of the only love songs she ever wrote was about someone on stage with her. The guitarist pointed to the drummer and everyone oohed. Such a nice moment. Ky has a few albums out for your listening pleasure. Check her out!

Next up was the band Wednesday. These young guns had a unique sound. Almost like Cursive meets Shoegaze with the tiniest country twang. In addition to two guitars, bass, and drums, they have a slide player! I really liked how the slide added that little layer of alterna-twang to the slower emo melodies. After the show the band signed autographs and took pictures with the fans. I overheard their singer telling the slide player that she was taking some pics and she sounded really excited. It's always cool to see bands connecting with new fans. That's how you get bigger shows. Sign those posters and take those pictures! Wednesday has a couple albums to check out on Spotify if you're so inclined.

Before Beach Bunny the Waiting Room crew made sure everyone had plenty of water and was doing ok. I swear it felt so hot in there. I dread what summer shows are going to feel like. I'll ask Dave if the A/C is doing ok next time I see him, haha.

As the stage crew was setting everything up they turned on several old tube TVs. It was a really cool aesthetic, the only thing better would've been if they had some images running through them and not just static, but I digress.

Beach Bunny came out and opened with "Oxygen" from their forthcoming album Emotional Creatures and the crowd went wild! From front to back the room was on their feet singing and dancing along.

Alright, it's time to drop some truth. I just found out about Beach Bunny like ten days ago. Our writer Linsey asked if she could cover the show. Naturally curious I said I would check them out and put in a request. After I heard Beach Bunny's album Honeymoon I was instantly hooked. In my photo request I asked their PR if I could tag along. Unfortunately Linsey got tied up with finals at UNL and couldn't make it. So sorry Linsey! I'm really glad she introduced me though and I got the opportunity to capture all these awesome photos.

Beach Bunny's indie-pop songs are so expertly crafted they just get stuck in your head and never leave. The surf guitar mixed with steady bass and drum rhythms and power pop vocals can lift any cloud and make it feel like a sunny California day even in the middle of a dreary Omaha Wednesday.

With a name like Beach Bunny and these surfy tunes you would think the band is from California, but they're actually from Chicago! The band played Maha Festival in 2019 but stupid me was at Slipknot in Kansas City. Just kidding, that show ripped. But still, I could've known about Beach Bunny so much earlier, oh my heart.

About half way through the set Beach Bunny lead singer Lili told the crowd they could move and asked if they've ever heard of a mosh pit. The next song "Nice Guys" saw a little bit of circle pitting but it quickly devolved into just kids jumping around. It was a nice try though. Lili has a place in the Omaha hardcore community any time!

As I stood in the back I noticed a lot of parents with their kids. There was a group of girls dancing with their moms next to me. The kids couldn't have been more than 12. I was so stoked to see young kids coming to shows again. I sincerely hope that Beach Bunny blows up and those kids will have a core memory of seeing this band in a smaller place like the Waiting Room.

Beach Bunny ripped through over 18 songs in their set. Luckily most of their songs average about 2.5 minutes, but I was really grateful to hear so much of their catalogue. The standouts for me were well all of it, haha. But really, "Good Girls (Don't Get Used)" had the crowd singing along so loud Lili backed off from the mic as the fans took over.

The second to last song "Cloud 9" was dedicated to all the lovers. As I looked around the room several couples were arm-in-arm swaying along. The song has over 220 million Spotify plays, it's a banger. The crowd sang loudly as Beach Bunny grooved their way into our hearts.

After the show I got a shirt and a vinyl. I waited outside in the rain along with a dad and his daughter who drove all the way from Minneapolis. They had a poster and I wanted to get my record signed. We chatted with Matt and Jon as we waited for the rest of the band. Eventually Matt ran our stuff inside and got it signed. I really wanted to say hi to everyone but Lili and the rest of the crew ran to the bus since it started downpouring.

Oh well, I guess I'll have to catch Beach Bunny again if I want to meet the rest of the band. Seriously, do yourself a favor and hit that follow on Spotify and get ready for their new album Emotional Creatures on July 22. I have a strong feeling this show will make an appearance on our year end top ten. I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!

Shout out to Beach Bunny's team for photo access!

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