Bad Suns rise on the Open Air stage

“Superstars in the making,” is what Los Angeles tastemakers KROQ radio once called them. Bad Suns is a young band (ages range from 20 to 23), and they started in a garage in a Los Angeles suburb called Woodland Hills only a few of years ago. They cut to the front of the line quickly; late-night TV fans will likely have seen the Suns making the rounds on all the usual talk shows. It hurt their chances not one iota that Eric Palmquist (he produced the Mars Volta, among others) worked on Language and Perspective, the Bad Suns debut. Alt-radio charts listed “Cardiac Arrest” from that album in the top 10.

“Anthemic” and “stadium-ready” are words that several rock writers use to label the Bad Suns’ sound. What comes to mind immediately are true anthem machines, such as U2 and Coldplay, and surely not ’70s and ’80s new-wave acts Elvis Costello and the Cure, from whom the members of the Bad Suns claim to take inspiration. Muse, Journey — hell, even the Scorpions were good for a big anthem now and then. It’s all about a fetching voice that sits in the upper tiers of the tenor range, coupled with a dramatic use of space and open pop-rock guitar chords and song hooks.

The Bad Suns stage show squeezes just about every ounce of sweat of out an audience. That, and the rare ability to own whatever arena they find themselves in have put them into music industry gold within four years. Vocalist/guitarist Christo Bowman is the focal point of the band, with bassist Gavin Bennett, Ray Libby on lead guitar, and drummer Miles Morris. But the question lingers: can anything that came together this fast go the distance? Bowman once told a reporter that being in a band was all that he could do. Let us hope that he never has to find out otherwise.

Halsey also performs.