By: Jared Gudnason

September 29, 2025

Cloudland Theater, located at 3533 E. Lake Street, hosted a stacked lineup on Sept. 24. Local acts Tender Comrade and Laugh Track opened for the British trio Nape Neck, hailing from Leeds, United Kingdom. They’re easily in contention for one of the most impressive bands I’ve seen this year.

Before the show, my friend Andrew, a Metro State alum, spent two hours brainstorming and then grabbed dinner across the street at Merlin’s Rest Pub. That night, I checked out Nape Neck’s Bandcamp page and was psyched to see they had been featured in Maximum Rocknroll, a digital magazine.

Tender Comrade, composed of Knol Tate, Travis Collins and Elliot Manthey, started their set arguably on schedule, which is very punk. They also had a second guitarist, a new addition since I last saw them in January.

Post-punk defined the night’s sound. While Laugh Track leans musically toward first-wave U.S. hardcore punk and performs as a fully formed five-piece, parts of their compositional style reminded me of post-punk too. Their sound was buzzy, centralized punk rock. It was super catchy and cohesive.

Cloudland is less than 200 feet wide. As an independent venue, it’s filling a necessary void by giving overseas bands a chance to reach new audiences and territories.

I had tequila for dinner and nursed Pacificos throughout the show.

Nape Neck was mind-blowing. All three members sang, sometimes in tandem, and they partially dispelled my long-held belief that drummers shouldn’t be lead singers. They still shouldn’t be the sole lead singer, but Nape Neck is exempt. That’s by design and for many other reasons.

Their hometown, Leeds, is located just south of Scotland. I bought a T-shirt and two vinyl LPs, one self-titled and the other called “The Shallowest End”, which coincidentally matches my writing style.

Support independent bands. Pay them in cash so Venmo turns less profit.