Noise Pop happy hour. Keywords: bands, hipsters, crowded, beer, flash photography

Noise Pop is an annual music festival that takes place at different clubs (mostly) all over San Francisco. It used to be a lot better, which I'm contractually obligated to say as an aging hipster. But no, really, it did. Just check out the schedule from 2001 and compare it to this year's.

ANYWAY, one very nice thing NP does is have free happy hours with bands. Now, as an aging hipster, I loves me some happy hour shows because staying out til midnight or later on a school night is becoming increasingly difficult. With a HH show, I can see some bands and be home by 9. Sweet.

That's what brought me to beloved cool kid bar Benders last night, or I guess technically "last evening," since I got there at 6. MAN WAS IT PACKED. Like wall to wall people. I missed the first band. The second band was the positively enchanting The Ian Fays who, as it turns out, are 3 cute chicks with excellent songs that you could barely hear in Benders. Sad face. I also like that one of the girls is a tambourine/triangle player which I love because I want a tambourine/triangle girl in my band.

PBR cans were $2. THAT'S REAL VALUE.

Up next were Love Is Chemicals. Also very good! Much, much louder! Although you couldn't really hear the vocals at all. I got a very strong Built to Spill vibe from them, which I bet they hear a lot, and not just because the lead singer is bald and has a beard.

I advise you to check out both bands. And do check out one of the Noise Pop happy hours if you have a high tolerance for crowds. Like, tonight you can see Social Studies, The Old Fashioned Way, and Shark Toys, all for free. For free!

Also, there were about 14 people with big cameras taking pictures nonstop, so there is a very good chance that my face is now plastered all over the Internet. THANKS A LOT, INTERNET.