By Kate Dollar

The Lost Horizon is a Syracuse landmark home to a variety of musical artists that showcase both the national and local music scene. This hidden gem has hosted anywhere from local artists like Shallow Alcove to bands like The Story So Far, Beartooth, and Sir Sly. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to see Lily Grave, the Surrogates, and Spanish Love Songs open up for headliner Iron Chic.  

Lily Grave is an indie rock band local to Syracuse, and for these guys, playing at the Lost Horizon was an exciting opportunity to promote their newly released debut album, Absurd Faces. Their refreshing sound was a pleasant contrast to the more punk-centered bands that played throughout the night. These four were able to do what an exceptionally talented opening act does and kick start the night with a phenomenal live performance.

The Surrogates is a pop punk group from Syracuse. I had listened to a few of their songs prior to their show, and they sounded promising in their recordings. However, their set was improperly soundchecked, warranting a very faint vocal performance which made it unmemorable.

Spanish Love Songs is a punk act from Los Angeles, California, currently promoting their third album Schmaltz that they released earlier this year. Despite not being the headliner, they were able to draw the largest crowd of the night. The band kept the audience engaged throughout their set with witty humor and self depreciative jabs, keeping the right balance of conversation and music.

Last but not least, pop punk band Iron Chic from Long Island, New York closed out the night. Although their set was lackluster and I found their performance disengaging, they seemed to have a small cult following that showed up in support of them, compensating for the lack of energy on the band’s behalf. Regardless of the execution of their performance, their musical talent spoke for itself and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to their set - this band has some serious bangers.

As someone who is still new to the local music scene in Syracuse, this been one of the most enjoyable line-ups I’ve seen so far. For the most part, each band brought their own unique sound and style to the stage. So if you’re all about supporting small, up-and-coming bands, these guys are worth a listen and maybe even a spot in your playlist.