📍Stubb’s Amphitheater — Sept. 12
Written by Krysta Ayers / Photos by Drew Doggett
With a name synonymous with the age-old ritual to end a night with one more drink, Night Cap, the local alt-rock band headlining Stubb’s on Friday night, fits the description perfectly: one more song, one more album, one more…is exactly the desire they provoke with their combination of honest lyrics, fun music videos, and catchy tunes.
When Night Cap first played Stubb’s in 2018, it was a sold-out show played indoors on a stage tucked underneath the stairs of the famous BBQ joint. They followed that performance up last year, after the release of their first album (a self-titled project), which they played on the outdoor amphitheater stage—also a sold-out show.
Their sophomore album, It’s Happening, will be released on Sept. 26, but until then, the band has been riding a wave of momentum and tours, teasing the new songs while the release date looms ahead. (They did a spring tour named after the album name in April, then toured through Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio in June.) Friday’s show was like the pre-game for their upcoming fall tour, which will kick off in November.
“We recorded the album right before we went on that [spring] tour,” Alex Alfonso, Night Cap’s bassist, told me as we sat at a picnic table backstage at Stubb’s. Roughly an hour before they were meant to start their show, Alex led me backstage to join Ryan King (vocals/guitar), who had just finished his vocal warm-up, Adrian Ayala (keys), and Jake Bomgaars (vocals/guitar).
“Tonight will be the first time playing eight of the 11 songs that are on the album,” said Ryan. “We want to play all of the new stuff for the town that we live in and it’s kind of reflective of how we started this band and came up with this city, and have spent so many nights playing shows…It’s cool to showcase this brand new music to our closest friends, and family, and fans,” he adds.
The energy backstage belied a seriousness that was as earnest as their lyrics, and it is clear that they intend to make bigger moves (they tell me they’re interested in Tiny Desk, Triple J, and anything involving Cheryl Waters).
It seems to be the trajectory they’re on.
With minutes to spare before they head on stage, Ryan says of the setlist, “I think a lot of [the new songs] are immediately easy to resonate with for a lot of people.”
And the crowd responded with great support. The band played “Say Your Name,” an unreleased track that was pulsating and powerful, and the crowd danced along easily. The bandmates were chameleons, able to blend genres and embody the music wholly, a hard thing to look away from.
The equivalent of a warm hug under that starlit sky were Jake’s and Ryan’s harmonies on songs like “Honey.” And Jake’s guitar solo was performed with pedantic control of each string; it sounded even better than the studio recording.
They played “Doctor Love” and “Like That,” singles from the new album that are available to stream already. The latter, an indie-dance anthem that we all need. They also brought out friends on stage—Slenderbodies, one of the opening bands (whom Ryan said the album would have been impossible without), as well as Ross Brown on violin, and Justin and Will on brass, from Big Wy’s Brass Band.
The setlist was performed with a pragmatism seemingly in direct contrast to their right-brain sensibilities and lyrics. They play with the maturity and precision gained over years touring. They paused in between songs only to thank the crowd and rally them to shout a “Happy Birthday” to Jake. In a relatively short career, they’ve amassed a robust number of songs, and they seemed to include enough of their old favorites while still playing a majority of their new tracks.
The band played “Glimpse” and then ended their encore with “Lady of the Moon,” a beautiful song that showcased their ability to genre-switch into something reminiscent of a cool night listening to Durand Jones and the Indications—or at least a tune that could have been used for the Grease soundtrack—and “Eileen,” an upbeat track with hard-hitting drums and an energetic melody. The energy was incredible ‘til the very end.
Pre-show, the band spoke of their fulsome appreciation for bands like Kings of Leon and Coldplay, and their inspiration was apparent in the band’s stage presence, concise control of their pen, and their ability to evoke strong emotional reactions to their songs.
The show was the perfect culmination of years of hard work in the studio, collaborating, and getting into the rhythm of each other. Family and close friends who have seen the evolution of Night Cap up close can best understand Adrian telling me backstage, “It’s cool to see [these songs] go from a friend’s backyard to a headlining show.” Shifting from the intimate to the broader world stage is something that Night Cap is just getting started on—and with their keen sense of who they are and desire to “chase the truth” in their music, they will undoubtedly have the world saying: one more.