White Reaper performs at August Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 16, 2021. Derek Tobias/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — White Reaper kicked off the city’s “Metallica Takeover” on Thursday at August Hall dressed in black and red. The Kentucky power-poppers, who were recently featured on the Metallica Blacklist covers album with their take on “Sad But True,” rocked the house with upbeat pop-rock stylings reminiscent of early Kinks.

The self-proclaimed “Best American Rock Band” from Louisville opened with “I Don’t Think She Cares” from White Reaper Does It Again. As the drums ramped up and the synths developed the mood, singer Tony Esposito took to the mic. Esposito and the band rolled through their set with precision, playing hits from their three albums as well as EPs, such as “Make Me Wanna Die” and “Daises.”

White Reaper made sure to take time every few songs to make jokes. The band also gave out a pair of tickets to Metallica’s sold-out Chase Center shows.

White Reaper.

At one point, keyboardist Ryan Hater thanked the audience for coming to their “last show,” and then posited that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, and, “any show, could be your last show.”

Although Esposito is known for his motion on stage, aside from a few shifts in front of the drum riser, and over by the keyboards, he stayed pretty much in the same quadrant of the stage. Hater was the most energetic of the group with his wild dancing and crowd engagement. 

White Reaper’s stage setup was somewhat minimal yet impactful, opting out of any large set pieces or banners, and keeping true to a DIY aesthetic. Drummer Nick Wilkerson and his bassist brother, Sam Wilkerson, played off each other flawlessly as one would expect from two musicians who have been playing together their whole lives. Hater added just the right amount of class and sass to an otherwise down and dirty rock show. 

Ulrich brothers Myles (23) and Layne (20)—yes, Lars Ulrich’s sons—opened the show as duo Taipei Houston, marking just the fourth time they’ve played on stage together under this moniker.

Taipei Houston.

Although they no-doubt  grew up playing music together, the two recently formed this new duo and have been playing a handful of supporting shows in Los Angeles. Although Taipei Houston has yet to release any music, that didn’t stop a group of fans from Ecuador from traveling to San Francisco just to see them perform.

Taking inspiration from bands like Royal Blood, Queens of the Stone Age and The White Stripes, Taipei Houston put on a fast-paced, hard-hitting drums-and-bass-focused show. Layne Ulrich navigated the bass with great skill and created melodies and tones that could be mistaken for a standard six-string guitar. While Layne Ulrich handled the vocals along with the guitar rhythms, Myles Ulrich banged out raw energetic beats on the drums. 

Follow photographer Derek Tobias at Instagram.com/simmonstobias.