Public Opinion, Who Have a Special Place in Their Heart for Boise, Are Ready to Rock Neurolux with Sparta Tonight
Their band name may be bland, but make no mistake about it: Public Opinion are a rock band from Denver that are to be reckoned with, as they’ll prove tonight opening for At the Drive-In successors Sparta at Neurolux in Boise. Having released their second album, The Curse of Public Opinion, in early August via punk label SideOneDummy Records, the band led by vocalist Kevin Hart – and which also recently toured with Quicksand – has hit its stride roughly six years after forming.
The Bad Penny caught up with Hart earlier today to get a sense of what Public Opinion have in store for their set tonight.
Hey, Kevin. Thanks for answering some questions in advance of your show tonight. How many times have you graced Boise?
This will be our third time in Boise, actually! We played Boise in ‘22 with Drug Church, Scowl, Gel and Rejection Pact – and then once again with Rejection Pact in ‘23. I really enjoy playing here, as it reminds me of going to shows as a kid in Olympia, Washington. It feels very community-driven and prideful of their local scene and their city.
I don’t recall seeing Boise listed on your initial tour itinerary when it was revealed at the time of the early August release of your new record. Was Boise a late add? If so, what prompted you to add yer Boise show?
I believe it was on the original routing, but it’s possible things get posted later on. I’ve been trying to route something back through town for a couple years now, and I was thrilled when I saw it on the itinerary for the current tour with Sparta.
Big congrats on The Curse of Public Opinion. What have you learned about the record as you present it to crowds in live settings?
Thank you so much! I think this record is the best representation of Public Opinion as a band, and it’s been a positive experience so far. The main thing I’ve run into since we’ve been doing support tours opening for bigger bands since the record has come out is folks will approach me at the merch table and tell me they checked out a couple songs ahead of time and thought it was pretty good but then were blown away by how it translates live. I couldn’t be more appreciative of everyone who has checked it out and then come to see us.
(Non-jam) Bands often play their songs quicker in concert. Given the short length of The Curse of Public Opinion, is that a hindrance that results in you having to find ways to extend your sets?
I haven’t found it to be much of an issue, honestly. We now have two LPs, a handful of EPs [including Modern Convenience, which is free on Public Opinion’s Bandcamp page] and a couple of loose singles floating around [like “Bug,” which the band also posted gratis on Bandcamp], so filling the time has never really been an issue. For example, on this current tour we are playing nine songs from the new record and a handful from the back catalogue. To me, it feels like we’re showing where we’re at now without abandoning the songs that got us here.
In 2024, you told me in an interview that a band “can’t be afraid to sweat.” With two years having elapsed since then, are you finding yourselves sweating less or as much – or even more so than before?
I would have to imagine I’m sweating more than ever. I had a long conversation with a more successful musician friend about this same topic a couple of years ago, and he suggested that “today’s hopes are tomorrow’s headaches.” What I took that to mean was as you grow, as a musician or even just as a person, the opportunities you’re striving for are still work. I’m not going to work real hard and then one day be relieved of my duty and just coast and enjoy the ride. Every step of the way requires effort. We just released our best record yet, and yet I’m currently in the midst of writing our follow-up. Time doesn’t stand still simply because of what you’ve accomplished. There’s always more work to be done.
Best show you’ve ever played in your career?
This seems tricky, as it depends on how we measure. The first time we played Springfield, Illinois, in October ‘22 was the first time I felt, “man, now that was something special,” so I guess I’ll say that. We had started playing locally at the beginning of that year and started touring a couple months prior, but it was unbelievably exciting to play a place hundreds of miles from home with people singing along and dancing and going wild.
This is a deliberately vague/abstract/open-ended question, but how has this tour felt different than the rest?
The Sparta tour has been really awesome for us. Because of the sound of my band, we can occupy sort of a chameleon space as an opening act. For example, we’ve gone on tour with hardcore-punk bands, indie-rock bands and sort of everything in between. Sparta could be described as post-hardcore or indie or what have you, but to my ears, it’s just rock music, and their fans have been very receptive to us on these runs. It seems as though they don’t care about the niche sub-genre-fication of music and just want to hear songs played on guitars. Since we released The Curse Of Public Opinion right before the first leg of this tour, I was excited to show all the new songs in a live environment. Receiving daily positive feedback on the songs has been fantastic.
Are you planning to hit up any spots in Boise (coffee shops, the record store, restaurants, hiking trails, etc.) while you’re here, or are you gonna be too pressed for time?
Super-pressed for time unfortunately, but our drummer Wil [McCarthy] was telling me all about how he’s excited to get Dharma Sushi after we load in and soundcheck.
What’s your one-line pitch to people on the fence about attending your show?
Who doesn’t love rock and roll music on a Friday night?
Public Opinion perform with Sparta and local band Mylo Bybeeat Neurolux tonight. Doors open at 7 p.m., with Mylo Bybee anticipated to start at 8 p.m., followed by Public Opinion and then Sparta. The cost of a ticket is listed as $32.75 on Dice but $28.88 on Ticketweb, with fees included in both prices. So it looks like you’ll save a few bucks buying from the latter website.
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