Twenty30 is a five-member rock/hard-core band hailing from Philadelphia. On Friday night they played a four-year anniversary concert at The Delancey on the Lower East Side, showcasing everything their band and their music is about: having fun.

Unfortunately the crowds at Friday’s concert left a lot to be expected, as the number totaled about 30-40 at most. It could have been the concert’s last-minute change of venue, the cold weather, or perhaps the band’s lack of name recognition. Either way the event would have greatly benefited from larger numbers. Based on experience, concerts involving hard rock music often derive the bulk of their energy from crazy crowds, and unfortunately without that Twenty30 did not pick up enough of the slack to carry on a compelling show.

But I’m not positive that that was their goal. When I interviewed them about their musical goals and aspirations, they all said their number one priority was simply to “have fun.” They aren’t necessarily aspiring to have a record deal or to become famous, they just want to have fun while making music that they enjoy.

That is clearly what they are doing. The band was all smiles and jokes throughout the whole evening, joking with the audience in between songs and passionately belting out their tunes. Their music has a great beat and sound to it, but I think it’s best and most clearly heard on their EP recordings. As for the live performance Friday, my favorite was actually a hard-core cover of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance. It was absolutely great.

It was also refreshing to see the band members enjoying themselves so much despite the low turnout and the harsh weather outside. Twenty30 seems like a low-key but extremely friendly group of musicians, and based on their definition of success, they have clearly already achieved it.

– Karina