Denver’s Air Dubai grew their emphatically hooky version of Flobots or Gym Class Heroes-style hip-hoppy radio pop from Macbook demos to an actual garage band (with like seven people) into an outfit so tight they managed to get signed to powerhouse label Hopeless on the basis of reputation alone. No live showcase, no by-request demos—just pure existing! (It couldn’t have hurt that they’d pulled in award after award from Westword, the Denver version of the ol’ OC Weekly.) The recordings ready for independent release suddenly had to be prepped for mass production via Hopeless, which is a nice problem to have, and now they return from SXSW to do something of a victory lap. If ever a year is gonna be their year, this is it.
Tue., April 2, 8 p.m., 2013
