On a Saturday night I was planning on staying inside I came
across a last minute find on Facebook events, Otto Vector and Nightlife, two
local alternative music gems that were playing at Orchid Dance Club in Ferndale.
Gaging my energy level, which was near low, I came close to staying home for a
Netflix night but gathered up my reserves to see what the Orchid is all about.
I’ve only seen the outside of the Orchid before which casts
an iridescent shine when you drive by it. Inside Orchid Dance Club, it’s a
modern example of small club beauty with a nice arrangement of seating, ample
dance floor and a band stage that is one of the best around. It even has rising
black drapes that make any band feel impressive before even striking a note.
The crowd that night was packed with your usual club goers,
some bachelorette parties and clusters of friends all looking for a fun time
that was easily accomplished with $2 drink specials. Nightlife’s synth pop
melodies may have seemed a bit out of place in the mainstream atmosphere but
the people there really seemed to enjoy them. They played about 30-40minutes of
music from their 2 ep releases and sprung out a couple of new songs that were
the standouts of their set.
After a club friendly DJ mix, around 11:30pm the place
really got moving and Otto Vector took the stage. The energy, fun and
enthusiasm that OV packs in their set always promises a good time and tonight
was no exception. In the middle of OV’s set they did a melody of Motown and
funk that set those 60’s classics up against OV’s 80’s inspired style and lead
singer Renee’s excellent vocals. The crowd ate up the dance floor and danced
their entire hour long set.
Even after the bands played, throngs of people were still
entering the Orchid to continue their night. All in all, it was a night of
great bands in a nice atmosphere that added yet another club to my list of
venues for good times.
Here are some more pictures I took from the evening:
Otto Vector
Nightlife
This Post by Mikel O.D. of
