Three bands delivered a powerhouse show before a full crowd Saturday, Jan. 16 at Huntington’s V-Club. 

ScroungeHound, a “gypsy rock” group played the first set of the night, prepping the audience for an intense follow up from bands Sly Roosevelt and Ford Theatre Reunion.  

To close the opening act, ScroungeHound featured a new song titled “Wasted.” 

“[Gabe Smith of ScroungeHound] reminds me of Jim Morrison,” said local resident Angela Cheek during the performance.  

Sean McDaniel, lead singer of the second act, Sly Roosevelt, said that they had been performing at the V-Club for approximately five years after gaining local attention in the Huntington music scene.  

“Probably since 2010, we’ve done maybe twenty or thirty shows a year here,” McDaniel said.  

Several in attendance claimed that the band had picked up a “harder,” more punk sound. 

Shawna Harless, McDaniel’s wife, said this transition could be due to the recent departure of keyboardist Alexander Durand. 

“I want people to be immersed with us in it,” McDaniel said. “I don’t want it to be so us versus you. I want it to be us as one thing, you know?” 

Sly Roosevelt also debuted a new song, “Tears as War Paint,” near the end of their set Saturday night. 

“I just told them in a text ‘I wanna do that song in honor of Bowie and all that,’” McDaniel said. “We literally probably played that two times in the last week. We haven’t really like hammered it that hard.” 

McDaniel said that the next big steps for the band would be happening in the next week or two as they hit the studio to record some of their material for a new release entitled “Kirilan.” 

Notable amongst the attendees of the club was a distinct presence of fifties-era fashion, brought about by the image of the final performance, Ford Theatre Reunion.  

“Ford Theatre Reunion is my favorite though,” said Angela Cheek, in baroque costume. “They’re pretty eclectic.” 

Coming up at the end of the week, the V-Club will play host to another round of performances.  

Two local bands, Friendly Fire and Shenanagram will be featured, as well as Noise from Charleston, West Virginia. The performances will take the stage at 10 p.m. Friday, January 22 at the V-Club.

Admission will be $5 per entry.  

Ryan Fischer can be contacted at [email protected].