Marianas Trench proved they are poised for the big time with a star making turn at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California.

Canada’s Marianas Trench are not your typical pop punk band.  A little less punk then their U.S. brethren, they wear their 80’s influences on their sleeve, baptized in the Church of the Poisoned Mind.  While most pop punkers filter their songs through Blink-182 and Green Day, Marianas Trench are percolating tunes through the Eurythmics, Def Leppard, and Kajagoogoo, creating something both familiar and unique.  Their latest album, Astoria, combines a concept-based theme with lush, orchestral rock, and great pop songwriting.  It comes as no surprise that Marianas Trench’s frontman, Josh Ramsay was nominated for a Grammy for co-writing the Carly Rae Jensen’s hit, “Call Me Maybe.”

At the House of Blues in Anaheim, California, Ramsay proved himself to be a mesmerizing frontman who has perfected his rock star swagger.  They opened their set with “Astoria,” the title track from their new album, and then powered through a high energy set that featured songs like “Burning Up,” “One Love,” “Pop 101,” and the Jackson Five influenced “Shut Up And Kiss Me.”

Ramsay stopped the show when he noticed a fan in the front talking on the phone, taking the phone away to talk to her friend, and petulantly asking “Can I continue the show now?” when she returned to her conversation. 

When Ramsay returned to the stage solo for the encore, he played random chords on the guitar while deciding what song to play next, which resulted in the typical barrage of requests from the audience.  “Alright, alright, relax,” said Ramsay, “I don’t come to your work and yell at you,” he responded before launching into a solo version of “Good To You.”  The band rejoined him on stage for “Haven’t Had Enough,” and then the closed their set with the ambitious four part harmonies of “End of an Era.”

Marianas Trench are one step away from rock stardom in the US.  I think 2016 will be their year; all they need at this point is a prestigious slot opening for someone like All Time Low to get the exposure they need to make it big.

Secret Someones opened the show with a fantastic set of joyful indie-pop, with the three female frontman trading vocals on such songs as “Heartbreaker,” “Let You Go,” “I Won’t Follow,”  and a fantastic version of “Chase Your Shadow” where drummer Zach Jones came out from behind the kit to join the others in lovely four part harmonies. 

 

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Marianas Trench
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Secret Someones
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House of Blues, Anaheim
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About The Author

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Kathy is a freelance concert photographer based in Los Angeles, CA. Kathy started photographing bands in the early 80s, where she was a fixture on the L.A. rock scene. She returned to concert photography in 2011, starting Wicked Goddess Photography. She is editor-in-chief of Spice of Wickedness, and regularly contributes content to several sites, including Loudwire, Diffuser, and Find Your Seen. Kathy can be found on twitter @wickedgoddess.