The Black Sands celebrated the release of their debut album, 1977, in style on Friday night. Owl and Bear favorites The New Kinetics opened the Griffin show with a characteristically unchained set, and The Heavy Guilt closed out the night with an extra-long performance. As good as those sets were, all eyes were on The Black Sands to see if they could live up to the recent swell of hype that’s built up around them. Luckily, the eight-piece band delivered, thanks to some emotional songwriting and an assured performance by vocalist Heather Marie Janiga. You can check out our photos of The Black Sands and The New Kinetics below.

Photos – The Black Sands at the Griffin – May 4, 2012

Photos – The New Kinetics at the Griffin – May 4, 2012