Review: Veteran rock trio TsuShiMaMiRe and new Q.C. power group Sheer Image had scene kids reveling at Raccoon Motel

Amid the growing humidity and heat of early June, a nearly sold-out crowd gathered on 2nd Street at the Raccoon Motel, a cozy, eclectic venue that hosts the most diverse and exciting musical acts in Davenport.

The excitement was twofold: Not only would the crowd see the return of the long-running Japanese girl punk trio TsuShiMaMiRe, but this was also the debut performance of a new Quad City hardcore band, Sheer Image.

The room was electric in anticipation of the new act, composed of members of Everlasting Light and Running Man, two powerhouse acts in their own right, as well as the debut of Rocio Suarez as a vocalist.

The crowd was full of supporters, a who’s who of longtime local musicians and hardcore scene kids — or, rather, scene adults now. There were many younger folks there as well, proving that hardcore punk has a lasting appeal in the Q.C., and that a band like Sheer Image is filling a growing void in the region.

Sheer Image brought what the crowd wanted: a blistering attack of punk riffs and impassioned lyrics. Guitarist Jamie Warren brought high points of melody and adventure to the band’s old-school approach. Over a brief six songs, the crowd erupted in supportive and enthusiastic applause.

Sheer Image closed their set with a cover of crust legends Aus Rotten’s “Fuck Nazi Sympathy,” during which a mosh pit broke out.

Clearly a good chunk of the audience was here for this performance alone. Though the changeover between acts was brief, the room was much less full for Austin, Texas’s WE Are The Asteroid. Despite this, the openers still brought great showmanship with their brand of drugged-out punk, which veers between influences like Butthole Surfers, the Dickes and Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions. Their set was fiery, groovy, riff-tastic and charmingly weird.

A new set of concert-goers arrived to fill the room once more for TsuShiMaMiRe. The Japanese power-pop and indie punk trio has been at it since 1999, developing a solid U.S. fanbase that allows them to tour the States with regularity, taking them from SXSW Festival and beyond. Their music is energetic and catchy in a way that calls to mind the early days of Weezer, but with a more energetic vocalist who can swing from exciting spoken word to soaring pop-tinged choruses.

After nearly three decades of playing and touring, TsuShiMaMiRe performed with all of the zeal and professionalism of a veteran rock band. The sound and precision were incredible to witness, and the crowd danced and cheered throughout the performance.

While ostensibly the concert on June 6 could be labeled under the generic “punk” tag, each act stood on its own. It’s a blessing to witness multiple generations of musicians share a single stage, each bringing their own niche of rock into a single evening. The Raccoon Motel had a winner of a Monday night, uniting fans from all over the area into one of the most fun shows of the year, so far.