NYS Music 20​19

Author: Joseph Buscarello

  • Hot Chip Hits the Dance Floor at Brooklyn Steel

    Hot Chip brought their electronic-infused indie rock to Brooklyn Steel on September 4 in support of their new album, A Bath Full of Ecstasy. This was the middle of a three-night sold out run. Holy Fuck opened the night which featured a guest vocal/sample appearance from Alexis Taylor. [Update: Holy Fuck have released this single featuring Alexis Taylor, “Luxe.” Listen here]. 

    Hot Chip at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The night began with the opening track from their last full length album Why Make Sense? “Huarache Lights,” followed by the title track from 2010’s One Life Stand. The band then played two sequential tracks from In Our Heads, “Night & Day” and “Flutes.” It was not until the halfway point of the set where we heard the first new song, “Hungry Child.”

    Hot Chip – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The stage was built to resemble classic bandshell stages, with projection towers in a crescent shape behind the band projecting various color palettes throughout the show. A dramatic laser show came and went throughout the night, an effect well received by the fans in the room.

    The second half of the set saw a very frenetic rendition of the Beastie Boys’ classic “Sabotage” before two more tracks from A Bath Full of Ecstasy, “Melody of Love” and “Positive.”

    The tour is just getting underway. The band tours North America throughout the fall, followed by shows in Japan, Europe and South America into December.

  • King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Brings Their Unique Sound to Central Park Summerstage

    King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard is one of the most prolific rock bands currently out there. Starting with their debut album 12 Bar Bruise in 2012, the boys from Melbourne have released almost 2 albums per year since then, pushing it to 5 full length releases in 2017 alone! With a quick break in 2018, King Gizzard is back with a headline show at Summerstage in Central Park.

    King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Photo by Joseph Buscarello

    Fishing for Fishies, released in April of 2019, showed the band embracing a boogie-sound and mixing this groove into their blend of psych/heavy rock. Then, King Gizzard began to tease what sounded like a new thrash-metal album, delivering the incredible Infest the Rat’s Nest this past August. This album is a true homage to the genre with their signature style mixed in seamlessly.

    It’s no surprise that the audience was intrigued as to how King Gizzard would fill the set at Central Park Summerstage on August 28. The band kicked things off with fierce renditions of Infest the Rat’s Nest tracks “Self-Immolate” and “Perihelion.” The show itself was well organized as the band tended to group tracks from the same album together, allowing them to dig deep into the style of each album: three tracks in a row from Polygondwanaland early on, with three straight tracks from Murder of the Universe later in the set.

    King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at Central Park Summerstage – 8/28/2019

    A last-minute addition of “Planet B” to the setlist paved the way for the final leg of the show. The band ditched the outdated tradition of leaving the stage and resurfacing for an encore, but instead powered through using every last minute of the early show to play for the fully engaged audience. The band was sure not to let up one minute before curfew. A constant stream of crowd surfers, full throat singing, and mosh pits all over the Rumsey Playfield made for a very high intensity show.

    King Gizzard embarks on a fall tour of Europe in October and November, with a final show at the Maho Rasop Festival in Bangkok, Thailand in mid-November. Does that leave enough time for one more full-length release in 2019?

    Setlist: Self-Immolate, Preihelion, The Great Chain of Being, Plastic Boogie, Inner Cell, Loyalty, Horology, Boogieman Sam, Evil Death Roll, Digital Black, Vomit Coffin, Murder of the Universe, This Thing, The Bird Song, Planet B, Mars for the Rich, Cyboogie, Am I in Heaven?

  • Of Monsters and Men Delivers a Triumphant Show at Radio City Music Hall

    It has been eight years since Of Monsters and Men released their mega-hit song “Little Talks” from their debut album My Head is an Animal. This past July they released their third full-length project, Fever Dream, and have now embarked on a North American tour in support.

    Of Monsters and Men

    The second stop on the tour found the band playing a sold out show at New York’s famous Radio City Music Hall with support from Lower Dens. The hall quickly filled with a crowd of truly all ages and backgrounds, from teenagers to adults, with many different foreign languages represented. Of Monsters and Men have a reach that is truly worldwide and fans in NYC could not wait for their chance to see them.

    Of Monsters and Men
    Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

    The show kicked off with the opening track from Fever Dream, “Alligator.” The band ended up playing nearly 3/4 of the new album throughout the show. It was not until the second to last song of the main set where OMAM finally gave in and played “Little Talks” to a crowd shouting the entire song.

    Of Monsters and Men
    Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

    The band continues their run of US shows until the end of September, with one Vancouver show on September 28. They wrap up the tour with a triumphant hometown festival appearance in Reykjavik, Iceland at Iceland Airwaves 2019 on November 6-9.

    Of Monsters and Men
    Photo by Joseph Buscarello

  • Banks Shows Off Her Dance Moves in Brooklyn

    Banks brought her energetic live show to Brooklyn Steel on September 10 in support of her fantastic new LP, III. This was a second night added due to the first night on September 8 selling out so quickly.

    Kevin Garrett opened the night with a soulful, beat-backed set of ballads. The crowd was full of Kevin Garrett fans as they willed him on by, singing and dancing along. His new album Hoax, released back in March of this year, was a nice complement to the evening, setting a warm tone but not stealing away any energy from Banks.

    Banks
    Kevin Garrett at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    As the stage hands removed the opening band’s instruments, it was immediately clear that she would be dancing from one end of the stage to the other. With a keyboard set-up far stage left and a drum kit far stage right, the entire Brooklyn Steel stage was turned into Banks’ and Co. personal dance floor – and they sure used every inch.

    Banks
    Banks at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The audience was in full-throat for every song – belting out all the lyrics and trying to mimic Banks’ dance moves on the packed GA floor. Some of the more adventurous dancers drifted to the back of the room and the balcony where there was ample space to dance.

    Banks
    Banks at Brooklyn Steel – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    This is only the start of the III World Tour. Banks continues in North America through October then hits Europe in November.

  • Boris Drones on at Elsewhere in Brooklyn

    Boris needs no introduction at this point in their career. Their upcoming studio release, LφVE & EVφL, will be their 25th(!) full length LP to date. This is not even counting the numerous live albums, EPs, demos and collaborations they have put out since their formation in 1992 in Tokyo.

    boris
    Boris at Elsewhere, Brooklyn – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    The band is currently on a lengthy tour of North America and they rolled through Elsewhere, Brooklyn on Tuesday night in advance of the new album being released. Uniform provided support, delivering a very heavy and frenetic opening set, dense with noise and reverb.

    Boris took to the stage with little fanfare, and quietly began setting up their loops and pedals. Then, equipped with a double neck guitar/bass combo, Takeshi Ohtani began laying down the heavy drones. The set had many peaks and valleys as the band transitioned from heavy, nearly uncomfortable drones to more melodic and vocal bits. All three band members contribute to the vocals, making for a very hypnotic sound.

    boris
    Boris at Elsewhere, Brooklyn – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    During the encore, Uniform joined Boris on stage for a rendition of “Akuma no Uta,” the title track from their 2013 full length. This was quite the treat for the many Uniform fans in the crowd. The show concluded with the track “Statement,” a track from an alternate version of the album Smile.

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    Boris at Elsewhere, Brooklyn – Photo: Joseph Buscarello

    Boris continue on their long tour with upcoming stops in the Northeast and on the West Coast before heading back to Japan. The band will end the tour, and their 2019 with a show in Athens, Greece on December 21.

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