NYS Music 2024

Tag: brooklyn

  • Bands Do BK Presents The Music Matters NYC VHS Compilation

    Brooklyn based project Bands Do BK has announced the official VHS compilation release of live performances from a 3-day, 15-band event held at Arlene’s Grocery earlier this May.

    Born out of a desire to bring musicians to fans and vice versa throughout Brooklyn and beyond, Bands do BK is a project designed to offer readers uncut perspectives of the borough from their favorite local artists and musicians. From personable conversation, spotlights on new releases, and events hosted for fans and creators alike, Bands do BK avoids pomp and pretense in favor of genuine content curated for music lovers and makers, by music lovers and makers.

    Back in May of this year, Bands do BK put on a powerful three-day event at the iconic Arlene’s Grocery comprised of 15 emerging bands of the local indie scene. Capturing the liveliness of the tightly knit NYC music scene throughout every set while in a historically significant area that has consistently provided a space for creatives and musicians alike, the event was a major hit. 

    Now, in an exciting one-of-a-kind VHS compilation, the project and its impactful message have been further immortalized. Spearheaded by Executive Producer Marc Seligman and Production Coordinator (and Bands do BK Curator) Sam Sumpter, The Music Matters NYC is a 67 minute testament to the immortality of music in New York City and the newest voices taking that charge.

    Artists featured in the compilation correspond with the original performance dates- day one’s Big Girl, Tilden, A Very Special Episode, Tetchy, and TVOD are showcased alongside day two’s O. Wake, NEVVA, Two-Man Giant Squid, Mary Shelley, and day three’s AVATAREDEN, Jelly Kelly, Go Home, Night Spins, and SKORTS.

    Largely inspired by the authentic work of these artists and a vision of capturing the essence of their performances in a genuine way, a simple documentary-style idea quickly developed into the nostalgic experience that is a VHS release- a perfect call back to analog recordings that pays homage to the timelessness of New York City’s indie music scene alongside a uniquely nostalgic viewer experience.

    “My hope is that this doc serves as a window into our community—what’s happening in venues, parks, bars, backyards and basements across the city on any given day or night. I hope it inspires you to fall in love with these artists like I have and to buy music and merch, go to local shows and support this sweet, sweet scene that we, as New Yorkers, are unbelievably lucky to have access to. NYC isn’t even close to dead, and I’m beyond stoked to showcase some of the incredible bands who are out there proving it.” 

    – Sam Sumpter, Bands do BK Curator

    The event’s performances were subsequently recorded by a top-tier crew including Brad Wagner and Juan Soria on audio and video production assisted by Charlie Peterson, Jeff Schaer-Moses on photography, and Jason Toledo on video editing in addition to being a co-producer. 

    To be released on Friday November 1, the official The Music Matters NYC VHS compilation will be available through Bands do BK, Arlene’s Grocery, Village Revival Records, and all of the bands featured at their shows. 

    In addition, Bands do BK has announced an exciting upcoming watch party at the very same Arlene’s Grocery. Bringing together fans, friends, and artists in a larger community of creativity and appreciation for live performance, the once-in-a-lifetime chance to relive the magic in the same room where it was made is not to be missed. 

    No official date for the watch party has been announced yet, so to keep up to date on the latest updates as well as all of Bands do BK’s endeavors, visit their website here.

  • Foster The People Announce ‘Paradise State of Mind Tour’ with Stop at Brooklyn Paramount in February

    Famed indie-pop group Foster The People have announced their anticipated Paradise State of Mind Tour which sees a single stop at Brooklyn Paramount on February 24, 2025.

    The upcoming North American headline tour is set to hit 23 cities in all, including a stop in Brooklyn, NY at the Brooklyn Paramount on February 24, 2025. The tour begins October 11 in Austin, Texas, and finishes on March 6, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. Foster The People will host special guest Good Neighbours for the entirety of the tour. The eagerly awaited tour celebrates the recent arrival of Foster The People’s acclaimed new album, Paradise State of Mind. The album is highlighted by such acclaimed tracks as “Chasing Low Vibrations,” “Take Me Back” and the cosmically catchy first single, “Lost In Space.”

    The band continues to celebrate Paradise State of Mind with a top-billed appearance at Austin, TX’s Austin City Limits Music Festival, both last weekend Friday, October 4th and on Friday, October 11. Foster The People first marked the album’s arrival this summer with an intimate pair of sold-out live dates at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom and Los Angeles, CA’s The Roxy Theatre as well as an electrifying performance of “Lost In Space” on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

    FOSTER THE PEOPLE PARADISE STATE OF MIND TOUR 2024/2025

    WITH SPECIAL GUEST GOOD NEIGHBOURS

    JANUARY 2025

    25 – Seattle, WA – The Paramount Theatre

    27 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre

    28 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom

    31 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater ^

    FEBRUARY 2025

    3 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory

    4 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren

    6 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium

    8  – Las Vegas, NV – Fontainebleau Las Vegas

    11 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Center

    12 – Denver, CO – The Fillmore Denver

    14 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis presented by Affinity Plus

    15 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed

    17 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit

    18 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY

    19 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS

    21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia

    22 – Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues Boston

    24 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount

    27 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz

    28 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle

    MARCH 2025

    3 – New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore New Orleans

    5 – Houston, TX – House of Blues

    6 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues

    * Festival Appearance

    ^ Non-Live Nation Date

    “I think the trickiest part about this record was trying to be authentic about what had been going on with me, without writing something super dark and without glossing over it, either. Because, to me, it was really important that hope remain at the core of this whole thing. People need hope. I need hope. And when I think about what hope is – it’s having the courage to walk towards something that you think can be better, while fully acknowledging the darkness and reality around you. That was the goal, walking into this album, which was actually really tricky – to make something that rang true to what was on my mind, but that had this much groove and that would be fun to dance to. You know, to me, they’re like Trojan Horses, the message is hiding in the melody.”

    Mark Foster

    For more information on Foster The People’s upcoming Paradise State of Mind Tour, and to purchase tickets, click here.

  • Hearing Aide: Going Back To Where It All Began by Jeremy Hilliard

    Jeremy Hilliard announced the release of his newest album Going Back To Where It All Began which dropped October 4. The full-length album contains 13 tracks, all of which are originals.

    Jeremy Hilliard peak

    Jeremy is a songwriter and guitarist living in Brooklyn. He tours regularly with his band PEAK, with whom who he has released 2 studio albums. Right off the bat, the title track “Going Back To Where It All Began” sets the tone for the entirety of the album. Hopeful, upbeat, adventurous and homey are words that describe the overall feel and theme of the track.

    “Before Your Love” changes the pace a bit with a more somber and low-tempo sound. You can hear lots of influence from indie-country artists as well as a powerful influence from Tom Petty. Moving onto “Sailor’s Warning,” the track opens with a floaty, indie feel. I’d say this track has a mood somewhere in between the previous two tracks – not quite somber, but not as upbeat – somewhere in between.

    Jeremy Hilliard peak

    Going Back To Where It All Began is a very interesting album. Some tracks are more indie-forward while others are certainly folk or country. Some are reminiscent of an indie artist like Tame Impala, others have clear influence from Tom Petty, The Beatles, and others have influence from folk/country artists like Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and more. I find this level of range to be rather impressive and a testament to Jeremy’s talent.

    For more information on Jeremy Hilliard and to hear his recent album Going Back To Where It All Began, click here.

  • Brooklyn Nonprofit FourOneOne Announces New Performance Series “Transatlantik”

    Brooklyn-based nonprofit organization FourOneOne has announced the upcoming two-day performance series “Transatlantik.”

    The series takes place November 22 to 23 at Greenwich House Music School, CARA, and Francis Kite Club.

    Transatlantik is a series of performances and conversation featuring the work of diasporic artists engaged with the artistic and political concepts of negritude and créolité. Artists include Aruán Ortiz and Anaïs Maviel; Sélène Saint Aimé; KāFOU (Val Jeanty and Cassie Watson Francillon); Vodou drummer Renald St. Juste, and Patrick Chamoiseau, the Martinican author and theorist of créolité. An afterparty with Alexis Marcelo, DJ Buddy and DJ Jeff Brown is also to be expected.

    There is a total of four separate shows from November 22 to 23. November 22 sees one show at 7:30pm at Greenwich House Music School. November 23 sees three shows at varying times, at CARA, Greenwich House Music School, and Francis Kite Club respectively. Each show explores unique themes regarding negritude, creolization, Afro-Carribean cultures, and more.

    Transatlantik

    TRANSATLANTIK Series of Events:

    Friday, November 22, 2024

    7:30pm (doors 7:00pm)

    Greenwich House Music School

    Sélène Saint-Aime’s Creole Songs

    Renald St. Juste

    Saturday, November 23, 2024

    2:30pm (doors 2:00pm)

    at CARA

    Patrick Chamoiseau

    in conversation with Sélène Saint-Aime, Aruán Ortiz, and Anaïs Maviel

    Saturday, November 23, 2024

    7:30pm (doors 7:00pm)

    Greenwich House Music School

    Reimagining Tropiques, Then and Now: Aruán Ortiz, Anaïs Maviel, and Aliya Ultan

    KāFOU: Val Jeanty, Cassie Watson Francillon

    Saturday, November 23, 2024

    10:00pm–midnight

    at Francis Kite Club

    Afterparty with Alexis Marcelo, DJ Buddy and DJ Jeff Brown

    Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at door, and $25 for both nights. 11/23 conversation and afterparty are free. For more information on FourOneOne and Transatlantik and to purchase tickets, click here.

  • New Hope Club: The UK Pop Trio Lights Up Brooklyn

    The Band

    New Hope Club, the British trio comprised of George Smith, Blake Richardson, and Reece Bibby, have been charming fans worldwide since 2015. Their infectious guitar-driven pop and catchy choruses quickly made them standouts in the pop music scene. Their 2020 self-titled debut album solidified their status, with hits that have defined their sound and energized audiences everywhere.

    Now, they’re back with new music, including their latest single “Trouble in Paradise,” which is out now, with more music on the horizon.

    New Hope Club at Baby’s All Right by: Yisroel Teitelbaum (@thebigpic.inc)

    Beyond music, Richardson is gearing up to play a young Paul McCartney in the highly anticipated Beatles biopic, Midas Man.

    Richardson’s casting has fans buzzing with excitement, eager to see how he continues expanding his creative reach.

    The Show

    On a warm night, New Hope Club took the stage at Baby’s All Right, turning the intimate venue into a buzzing cauldron of energy. This show gave NY fans an intimate, up-close experience with the trio in one of the city’s coziest venues.

    As soon as the band hit the stage, the atmosphere was electric. They opened the night with the crowd favorite “Worse,” instantly igniting the room. The trio’s tight harmonies and infectious energy had the crowd dancing, singing, and smiling from the first note.

    Throughout the night, the band treated fans to a mix of their biggest hits and some sneak peeks of what’s to come. They performed their newest track “Trouble in Paradise,” and the crowd responded with in an excited frenzy. The song, packed with their upbeat rhythms and smooth vocals, was an instant hit and gave a taste of the new, New Hope Club.

    Richardson, with his effortless charisma, led the crowd through the set. The crowd interaction made the show feel intimate and personal, the boys exuding a chemistry that can only come from years of friendship and performing together.

    A highlight was “Who Do You Think You Are?” where their vocal harmonies captivated the crowd, swaying together. The boys performed “Let Me Down Slow,” prompting the crowd to join in a massive singalong that echoed throughout the room.

    Closing the night with the explosive “Permission,” New Hope Club left Baby’s All Right on a high note. As the band waved goodbye, the crowd chanted for an encore, not quite ready for the night to end.

    New Hope Club proved from start to finish why they’re one of the most exciting young bands today. Their blend of charm, talent, and crowd interaction created a memorable night for everyone in attendance.

    Looking to the Future

    For those who missed the magic at Baby’s, make sure to catch them next time they’re in NYC. With new music and a movie debut ahead, the band’s future success promises to be even bigger. Don’t miss out!

  • 17th Annual Bushwick Film Festival “Producing The Dream” Announced

    The 17th Annual Bushwick Film Festival is set for October 16-20 with an impressive lineup of films celebrating this year’s theme of “Producing The Dream’.

    17th Annual Bushwick Film Festival
    Photo – Bushwick Film Festival

    Now in its 17th year of operations, the Bushwick Film Festival is a nonprofit organization with their hearts set on discovering the newest voices of the film world, sharing amazing stories, and cultivating community through the unifying power of movie magic.

    One of 12% of film festivals in the United States owned by women of color, the organization prides itself in developing free public programming and film making projects designed specifically for the uplifting of Brooklyn’s underrepresented storytellers alongside their partners and sponsors. 

    With over 1,000 yearly submissions from over 60 countries and an annual draw of 5,000 attendees, the Bushwick Film Festival boasts the best of the best of New York City’s indie film works and beyond. 

    This year’s festival is themed “Producing The Dream”, prompting creatives submitting for consideration to explore what it takes to realize a dream. A celebration of the relentless determination, artistry, and creativity that filmmakers pour into their creative works, this year once more will reflect the future of film from Brooklyn and the New York region at large.

    Photo – Bushwick Film Festival

    In addition to the submission screenings, this year’s Film Festival will feature a Creative Community Day with industry panels, workshops, and neighborhood pop-ups designed for folks interested in the behind-the-scenes work of filmmaking, Youth Film Screenings showcasing high school aged creatives’ works and highlighting narratives on youth issues, a Comedy Night with stand-up comedians and writers, live musical performances of fan favorite film scores, and the always exciting concluding Awards Night that will wrap with a finale showcasing the winning films.

    Awards for this season will follow the Festival’s tradition of recognizing both doc and narrative talents including Best Feature, Best Short, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Audience Choice Award, Programmers choice, and more. 

    Tickets and a variety of select passes to the 17th Annual Bushwick Film Festival celebration of Brooklyn and beyond’s shining film stars are available now. For ticket and pass options, prices, and further information, please visit the Bushwick Festival’s website here.

  • Paris, Texas, Brooklyn for Desvelada and Sprælle on New EP

    Brooklyn-based experimental musicians Desvelada and Sprælle have released their first joint EP, escaping from the body of a sleeping hummingbird on label Contain, a podcast and multi-media project based in Austin and Los Angeles.

    Artwork for ‘escaping from the body of a sleeping hummingbird.’

    Born from Austin’s fledgling experimental music scene, Sprælle’s art rock beginnings and distended guitar and production work fold lovingly into Desvelada’s choir upbringing and live vocal processing to create a unique feeling of uncertainty and discomfiture.

    The 5-song EP moves through obscure, sometimes painful natural landscapes – it feels like the pair are here to ask questions to which there are no answers. On opening track épié (‘spied’) Desvelda and Sprælle wade with us through a treacle of confused dreamscape. Who is spying? Who are they spying on?

    The pair say of their work that “spare synth bass and mournful drones create for us a hinterland of abandoned narratives, of characters unsure or unaware or unwilling to see that they are ghosts, but carrying with them a fatigued and defiant air of hope throughout.” épié’s lyrics compound this sense of ambiguity:

    in the labyrinth of my mind (I dreamt of you) / what else is there? / you burn in my being / there is nothing more to say.

    The EP sounds like a kind of reverie of the natural world, or at least some version of it. In tree up ahead, birdsong floats overhead while we, perhaps like the rivers referred to earlier in turn to talk, meander slowly into an anarchic canon of Desvelada’s voice. It feels like the pair want to remind us of the chaos of the natural world and our influence on it.

    Desvelada and Sprælle (photo credit: Anthony Flores)

    Turn to talk is the project’s most joyous moment, spending some minutes finding its feet before slowly expanding into a blissful release. But it is a tentative release, as if the pair are afraid of having whatever it is they have nurtured snatched away again. The production is generally sparse throughout, with playful and sometimes surprising use of pads and tones that you might expect to hear in 80s productions.

    Desvelada and Spraelle cite Tricky (of Massive Attack), Ryuichi Sakamoto and David Berman as influences. This eclecticism underpins the music, with each song carrying a resistance to containment reflecting the natural world that Desvelada and Spraelle want us to think about.

    While asleep, hummingbirds enter a state of torpor – some kind of hibernation – where their body temperature can drop by as much as 50 degrees. Is this how Desvelada and Sprælle feel? Does this torpor reflect, in their eyes, the state of the natural world, as humans encroach inch by mile? Is escaping from the body our only option left?

    Buy on Bandcamp or listen on Spotify to find out.

  • In Focus: The Red Clay Strays at Brooklyn Paramount

    Tuesday, October 1st saw The Red Clay Strays and The Glorious Sons make a stop at Brooklyn Paramount on their “These Moments Tour,” playing a sold-out show to almost 3,000 fans.

    Red Clay Strays

    The Glorious sons are a rock band based in Ontario with Brooklyn Paramount their first show on the “These Moments Tour,” singing their most popular songs and sharing the story’s behind creating each song with each other.

      Red Clay Strays

      The Glorious Sons were the perfect opening act as few fans knew them prior, but after hearing them live, the audience was drawn in by songs like “My Poor Heart” and “Pink Motel” and became new Glorious Sons fans.

      Red Clay Strays

      The Red Clay Strays are a country rock from Mobile, Alabama who gained popularity with their hit single “Wondering Why,” a song about the bands commitment to their music and success and the toll it has taken on their romantic relationships. The song opens with the stark contrast between the protagonists and two lovers upbringings. The chorus shows the amount of love this person has for the protagonist as they just sit back and allow the band members to follow their dreams, all left “Wondering Why.” Red Clay Strays have since put out another album and have been touring around the world sharing their unique music.

      Red Clay Strays

      Brandon Coleman (lead singer) shared a story of them previously performing at Brooklyn Paramount to a very small crowd, yet this time performing to a sold-out crowd. Throughout the show you could see the band’s passion for the music they are creating together, each song having a meaning and backstory related to the band’s history.

      Red Clay Strays

      The Glorious Sons Setlist: My Poor Heart, White Noise, Josie, Mama, Mercy, Mercy, Kill the Lights, S.O.S (Sawed Off Shotgun), Ruby, Pink Motel

      Red Clay Strays

      The Red Clay Strays Setlist: Ramblin’, Moment of Truth, Stone’s Throw, Disaster, Good Godly Woman, Heavy Heart, Between the Lines, Drowning, Devil in my Ear, Sunshine, Ghosts, I’ll Drown in My Tears (Sonny Thompson Cover), No one Else Like Me, I’m Still Fine, Doin’ Time, Will the Lord Remember Me, God Does, Moments, Wondering Why, Don’t Care

        Red Clay Strays
        Red Clay Strays
        Red Clay Strays

      1. Boojum Dazzle and Delight through First Half of Brooklyn Art Häus Residency 

        Less than a year into their project, Boojum is a jamband on the rise, having recently wrapped their first festival performance at LonCon in central New York and now halfway through their first residency at the Brooklyn Art Häus. 

        The four-piece – Chris Mackin (guitar), Josh Santiago (guitar), SarahElaz (bass), and Mike Coiro (drums) – have taken to the setting with aplomb, using the residency as a chance to test out new material in a four-show run featuring unique repeat-free setlists. For Friday’s show, the theme was “Looking Glass” and the band was joined by Kim Berg as the Red Queen and special guest Ethan Smestad on vocals. 

        boojum
        Photos by Taylor Weinberg

        It’s clear Boojum is getting comfortable pushing the black box theater’s limits to expand their attendees’ minds and push the boundaries of performance. Opening the show with two debuts, audiences were welcomed into the world of Wonderland with bouncing grooves for the back-to-back debuts of “Step Into” and “Pass Through.”

        By the time the band returned to more familiar material with “Nonsense if you Like,” the room was set to spinning through disco-tinged grooves, supported by a sultry guest vocal performance from Kim Berg. Fully decked in black and white checkerboard, Boojum doesn’t limit their spectacle to the music as dancers Cameron Kay and Rachel Caron joined the fray. With the chess pieces set, Elaz laid into a blistering bassline that pushed the group’s jamming upwards in intensity. 

        boojum
        Photos by Taylor Weinberg

        The group’s rhythm section continued to drive the pace into the debut of “Pig Baby Blues”  with Coiro laying a backbeat for Rachel Caron to add her own percussion to the groove with a tapdance solo followed by a drum solo before the band blasted into one of their hardest jams of the night. 

        “Pig Baby” has been a crowd favorite since its inception and from watching Mackin, Santiago, and Elaz’s mimicry of one another, it’s clearly a song the group has fun playing too. The introduction of the “Pig Baby Blues” lead-in gave the band a chance to amp this suite up another level. 

        Never afraid to have too much fun Santiago and Mackin would take a bewildering twist and turn “Pig Baby” into an extended jam based around Danny Elfman’s iconic Simpsons title theme. Balanced on the knife edge between recognizable and reimagined, the reworking raised a moment of levity before building to a heart-pumping performance from Smestad as the horrifying titular Pig Baby. Slaying the monster proved to be an easy feat for our heroes in Boojum, thanks to the power of rock and roll. 

        To celebrate their victory, we were rewarded with a seafood feast as the band lept into “Oysters” featuring another display of Boojum’s theatricality. Kay and Caron would return to the stage as molluscs come alive as something out of a cartoon, cowled with shells and resplendent with pearls thanks to costuming assistance from Megan Roe. 

        Photos by Taylor Weinberg

        The second set opened with a push into the psychedelic with “Looking Glass House” as Kay and Caron took to the stage adorned as giant eyeballs. Their performance and the mindbending guitar playing were complimented by visual artist Casey McArtney’s projections, as she took the opportunity to pay homage to Pink Floyd’s Pulse spinning eyes around the room.  

        “Chessmen” was another debut for the night, featuring a band first with Mike Coiro taking over lead vocals before the band led the crowd into the night’s most dramatic number, “Vorpal Sword”.  Featuring Ethan Smestad as the hero wielding the magical Vorpal Sword the show would enter its most conceptual as we enter his innermost thoughts to see him grow the courage to confront the Jabberwocky (performed by Caron in full costume). Driven by an exhilarating guitar line, the hero emerged triumphant, offering attendees a moment of respite before diving back into the psychedelic. 

        Photos by Taylor Weinberg
        Photos by Taylor Weinberg

        “Living Backwards” was another rockling jam that drove the idea of crescendo to the extreme, testing how intense the band’s playing can get before pulling a heel turn as they entered the debut of la Bamba-esq “Red Queen’s Race.” The tropical tune lifted audiences back to elation with a groove that sounded almost as if someone took the iconic “la bamba” riff and dunked it in a psychedelic paint bucket. It certainly sent me searching for when the Grateful Dead covered the Ritchie Valens arrangement (MSG, September 1987).

        With Caron and Kay still dancing in the audience Boojum kept with their tradition to close with a Wonderland-themed cover, going with an on-the-fly bust out of the Beatles “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.”  

        Boojum has committed to the bit when it comes to pushing the boundaries of experimentation.  Walking off stage, the group focused on the road ahead, planning for how they would continue to surprise audiences to the penultimate show of their residency.  What do they have in store? The only way to find out is to follow the band down the rabbit hole on October 11. Come ready for a swashbuckling adventure, because the band has hinted that the theme will be Pirates. 

        Boojum has two shows left in their Brooklyn Art Häus residency, the next show is October 11th.

        Tickets are available at: https://www.stellartickets.com/o/brooklyn-art-haus–2/events/electric-wonderland

        boojum

        Boojum’s Electric Wonderland – Looking Glass, 9/27/24, Brooklyn Art Häus, Brooklyn, NY 

        Set 1: Step Into> Pass Through, Nonsense if you Like> Pig Baby Blues> Pig Baby, Oysters

        Set 2: Looking Glass House> Chessmen, Vorpal Sword, Living Backwards, Red Queen’s Race

        Encore: Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds 

        Show Notes:

        Kim Berg on vocals as the Red Queen on Nonsense, Pig Baby, and Red Queen’s Race. 

        Ethan Smestad as a guest performer as the Pig Baby and vocals for Vorpal Sword. 

        Pig Baby featuring Simpson’s theme jam

        Cameron Kay and Rachel Caron dancing for Nonsense, Oysters, Looking Glass, Vorpal Sword and Red Queen Race.

        Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, Beatles cover.

        First time played: Step Into, Pass Through, Pig Baby Blues, Chessmen, Living Backwards, Red Queen’s Race,  Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.

      2. English Teacher Unleash Their Northern Charm on Brooklyn

        English Teacher showed off their indie oddball talents at a hastily arranged show at Brooklyn’s Market Hotel, September 25. Packing Northern wit, Gen Z rage, sincerity and spilled margaritas into their show, the hour-long headline slot left the crowd excited for what’s next.

        English Teacher at Market Hotel, September 25. Credit: William Shanks.
        English Teacher at Market Hotel, September 25. Credit: William Shanks.

        Having wormed their way through the crowd to get to the stage (Market Hotel seemingly has no backstage), the band opened with an accelerated version of “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab”, a salute for the downtrodden and middle finger to those who tread on them.

        English Teacher come to the city weeks after winning the Mercury Prize, a Very Big Deal in the UK, for their debut album This Could Be Texas. They quickly apologized for canceling their recent headline tour “because they were tired.” This refreshing rejection of toxic expectations of the music industry can also be found in their work: during “R&B” singer Lily Fontaine fights the assumption that she should sing any particular genre because of the color of her skin.

        The music is deeply rooted in experience, and there is sense of territorial ambiguity, or perhaps – despite a palpable attachment to where they are from – a yearning for pastures new. The work is largely rooted in the band’s home of the North of England (songs like “Albert Road” and “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab” reference local landmarks, cultural touchstones, heroes and villains) and yet there seems to be a westward gaze to the work. This is most apparent in the album’s title track, “This Could Be Texas”, which is vaguely set in the Lone Star State.

        Guitarist Lewis Whiting, commenting to NYS Music after the show, said that even though “the music is very English,” its wider messages are still accessible for an American crowd. Members of the audience did seem confused by references to the band’s home county of Yorkshire; while there was general agreement in the crowd that “York’s a city I think, like New York I guess,” British concepts like the council – blamed for environmental destruction in ‘Broken Biscuits’ – seemed unfamiliar. Market Hotel patrons get a close-up view of Brooklyn’s JMZ subway lines directly behind drummer Douglas Frost, which throws English Teacher’s, well, Englishness into interesting graphic relief.

        The band is composed of technically gifted multi-instrumentalists comfortable with complex rhythms and winding melodies. Strong musicality is not always enough to guarantee an edifying live experience, but English Teacher’s performance sidestepped many of the traps that befall successful recording artists when it comes to taking to the stage. They wisely recruited a fifth member to fill out the midrange with keys and cello and, stage access aside, Market Hotel is perfectly set up for high-energy acts like these, its trapezoid shape projecting force and sound out from the band and inviting back the crowd’s energy.

        Singer and keyboardist Lily Fontaine is a convincing frontwoman and the spiritual leader of the group. She drives the performance, now conducting her bandmates, now interrogating them as if willing them further, higher. She waves her hands at each of the things she’s “not” on “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying”, staring into the middle distance and apparently entirely absorbed in her experience.

        There is rage in this music, with Fontaine seeming at points to dissociate into the memory of whatever transgression or crime has inspired her lyrics. At one point she muses that “maybe the spotlight’s not for me,” but while there is an awkwardness to her performance, it is an awkwardness that she wears comfortably. Fortunately for English Teacher, their bandleader possesses undeniable authenticity, that one quality totally essential to a convincing live act.

        Some of the performance did feel rushed – there are times where you wish English Teacher gave their work some more breathing space. Songs could be extended to incubate their power and anger some before unleashing into the breakdowns that make the band so thrilling. You almost want a member of Phish, those wizened jam-band rockers, to throw a grizzled arm around these kids and remind them that the crowd is here for them; they can take their time; the people here can take it. This Could Be Texas, with its punchy second act math-rock pile-on, seemed primed for an 8-minute treatment.

        The set was closed with the album’s swansong, “Albert Road”. The album’s final act sees Fontaine climb a rousing ladder of pitch-perfect semitone gasps, one final shot at lifting off out of this small, narrow-minded Yorkshire town and into outer space – or perhaps just Texas. Earlier in the show, Fontaine described how the band recently supported IDLES, English Teacher’s equally buzzy indie-rock contemporaries. She engages in some light patter with a member of the crowd, sips her margarita. Then Fontaine’s face drops; she becomes deadly serious. “But this is our show now,” she says. It certainly feels like it.