Charly Bliss is the opposite of a buzzkill, performing one of the most energized performances I’ve seen at Exit/In. Leading the charge was the bubbly pop princess Eva Hendricks, who was accompanied by her brother Sam Hendricks on drums, lead guitarist Spencer Fox — who voiced Dash in “The Incredibles” — and bassist Dan Shure. Despite Exit/In being decorated from head-to-toe in Halloween-themed decor, Charly Bliss vastly contrasted it with the band’s bubblegum-pop theme.
The breakout indie band PRONOUN opened the night, featuring a one-woman multi-instrumental setup. PRONOUN was spearheaded by Alyse Vellturo, whose strong voice alongside thought-provoking lyrics created the perfect scream-along tracks. After a great opening set, the night was still young, and the crowd appeared ready through erupted screams when Vellturo announced that Charly Bliss was up next.
Up next came Charly Bliss, welcomed by many cheers from the crowd. Being in the pit, I had an up-close view of Eva Hendricks’ outfit of rhinestone-adorned denim shorts and a tube top. This was accompanied by white lacy stockings and bedazzled boots. I’d argue that a great performance outfit can make or break shows, as it reflects the band’s vibes. I have no doubt Charly Bliss has mastered that.
One of the songs that caught my attention when I listened to their discography before the show was “You Don’t Even Know Me Anymore.” I was genuinely glad to see it get featured during their set. The high-pitched song is a bit unorthodox from its neighboring lower-pitched breakup songs, but it deserves the same praise regardless. Though a bit lacking in guitar, the chorus lyrics, “I’m giving myself a makeover, and I’m blissing out,” make for a song still stuck in my head the morning after. The overall song covers a similar story to PRONOUN’s “together or separately.” The difference is that Vellturo was the one who fell back in love, while Charly Bliss’ track has the ex-boyfriend coming back for another chance. Both make for incredible songs in their own right.
Later in the set, the band took a request from a fan, who asked that they play “DQ.” Eva Hendricks asked the fan if they could sing “Heaven” instead. At the end of the back-and-forth, Charly Bliss agreed to perform both songs consecutively, starting with “Heaven.”
“Just act really surprised when we play ‘DQ,’” Eva Hendricks jokingly told the fan before busting out into song.
The best way I could describe “Heaven” is that it will make you feel like you’re riding on a cloud with dashes of an angsty drum-guitar duo. Overall, it was an excellent pick of simplistic lyrics with instrumentals that are absolutely superb.
As promised, “Heaven” was then followed by “DQ,” a track that I can best describe as Kenzie Cait combined with an iconic Charly Bliss drum beat, which created an unmistakable experience. The track is full of the indie teenage angst that made Charly Bliss so popular, with the lyric “I always get dumped on my birthday” being sung as the guitars and drums become stronger toward the end of the track. During this and many other tracks in their set, Eva Hendricks appeared to be on a bubblegum sugar rush as she jumped, danced and even purposely dropped to the floor to quickly get back up. Charly Bliss brought a remarkable amount of energy to the stage that could rival even some top bands. This resulted in a show that left me speechless.
Toward the end of the set, Eva Hendricks mentioned on stage that touring can get exhausting, but it was all worth it.
“Y’know, touring as a band is like sitting in a van for 16 hours, then dancing with more energy than you have for the past five years,” Eva Hendricks said as she smiled at the audience.
Charly Bliss still had gas in the tank as they left the stage, coming back on after the cheering got louder and louder in the audience. From behind the stage, out came the members, led by Fox and followed by the rest.
“What band would we be if we didn’t do an encore?” Eva Hendricks asked the audience as the band reconnected their equipment. “But you have to sing along.”
And an encore is what we got. They performed their 2019 hit “Chatroom,” which was full of catchy lyrics and an iconic drum beat. The track is a pop diss track to Eva Hendricks’ abusive ex, with two of the most repeated lyrics of the track being “I want to see you strip down naked” and “I’m not going to take you home; I’m not going to save you, no.” This track was a perfect encore, combining Eva Hendricks’ resilience with the bubblegum-angsty niche that her band has mastered.
As the encore began to end, the audience appeared to quiet down. Then, Eva Hendricks got on the microphone to tell the audience that they had a surprise! They were going to cover a song that was dear to her and her brother’s hearts — “Steal My Sunshine” by Len — with one of Len’s lead singers, Marc Costanzo. Having seen Costanzo standing toward the back of the venue, I assumed he was just another audience member, so I was surprised to see him march up on stage. Eva Hendricks sang the female lead’s parts while Costanzo handled the male’s parts, resulting in an iconic duo of a 1990s pop sensation and a pop star fangirling over him on stage. The contagiously-catchy chorus lyrics, “if you steal my sunshine,” were an uplifting change from “Chatroom.” The performance ended with Costanzo hugging the band members as Eva Hendricks visibly continued to fangirl for him on stage — closing off an unforgettable night.
