Silversun Pickups @ Brooklyn Steel 03.05.20
photos + words by Ava Mallory Scott
There are some concerts where the band doesn’t even acknowledge the presence of the audience. It’s like watching a nature documentary about musicians in their natural habitat, and then there are performances like the one the New Regime gave when they opened for the Silversun Pickups on Thursday, March 5.
At the beginning of their set, Ilan Rubin and his band were burning through songs. They’d break for a second for Rubin to mumble a song title and then pick right back up. Before the last few songs, Ilan (also famous for drumming for Nine Inch Nails and Paramore) took a break from his Jack-White-esque stage shenanigans to talk to the small group of Silversun Pickups fans who were kind enough to see the opening act.
The New Regime dropped his new album (yes, his… His band at this performance was all for show), Heart Mind Body & Soul on Friday, March 6. The title track was dropped early, so when Ilan started to sing it, there was one guy who was clearly there for The New Regime and knew all the words. He didn’t know though that Ilan would stop the show to talk to him and teach the rest of us the chorus so we could sing with him too.
There was no teaching necessary for the Silversun Pickups. They’ve been a band for nearly as long as I’ve been alive, and their fan base has been loyal that whole twenty-years. Even in the face of a pandemic, this audience had no concerns over contact with strangers and were enjoying the concert experience to the fullest; at least 6 people tried crowd surfing over the course of the evening.
I’d love to say that the Silversun Pickups are like a fine wine or cheese and that they get better with age, but that implies that at some point, they were mediocre—which to my experience is not true. When I last saw them, lead guitarist and vocalist Brian Aubert had a cast on his arm (which he chucked off during the encore) and he was astounding with a broken hand. Seeing him with a fully able body was a different experience from what I imagined; his movements were very fluid and gestural, using his whole body in the performance. Bassist Nikki Monninger was as darling as ever, the star of the show in red, strappy, short heels covered in crystals which matched her twin red Gibson Thunderbirds. She was like the Dorothy of alt-rock: with a click of her heels and a strum of her bass, the audience was convinced there was no place like the show.
On tour for their latest album release Widow’s Weeds which came out on June 7, 2019, it’s easy to tell that their fans are still there for the classics. Their performances of “Freakazoid,” “It Doesn’t Matter Why,” and “Don’t Know Yet,” were incredible and solidified their status as future Silversun Pickups essentials, but their resonance didn’t hold a candle to “Kissing Families” from Pikul (2005), “Little Lover’s so Polite” and “Lazy Eye” from Carnavas (2006), and “Panic Switch” from Swoon (2009). With that said, I wouldn’t be surprised if, down the line, there are fans who consider Widow’s Weeds to be one of the classic Silversun Pickups albums. Blessed with a talent for writing new music, they left the crowd satisfied, mildly drunk, ears ringing, and looking forward to whatever album comes next.
Two upcoming ticket giveaways! Use the links below to enter to win!
JOANNA STERNBERG @ TRANS PECOS 3/26 -
https://forms.gle/aRSzu3mTuayjy2Tq9
CRYWANK + CHASTITY @ MARKET HOTEL 3/28 -
https://forms.gle/aFsgssDRrqZjx67o6
WPIR Pratt Radio, Music Club, and Pratt Program Board collaborate to throw Pratt’s first-ever Battle of the Bands! Three bands ~ Whomst?, Fasting, and Two Thumbs Down ~ battled to win a headlining spot in WPIR’s Music Fest (this coming April). Audience Vote and Judges Pick were also chosen. Congrats to Whomst? on winning!
Judges: Emily Yacina (L), GiGi Nieson (C), and Chris Vitale (R)
Whomst? and Two Thumbs Down.
Host/MC Zach Sanchez.
Two Thumbs Down (Austin Ryder).
Whomst? (Cole Raser and Josh Mahoski)
Fasting.
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Special thanks to our Judges Emily Yacina (NYPIRG Rep), GiGi Nieson (SGA President), and Chris Vitale (Prof. of Electro-Acoustic Music), and to our awesome Host/MC Zach Sanchez. Thanks again to all the students who came to the event, and the bands for performing. We can’t wait for next year!
Photos by Pamela Wang
I was surrounded by people buckling their knees and thrashing their heads to a jangly guitar. Opening with aggressive percussion, I knew right then and there I was in for a night of unruly riffs that reminded me of my days listening to Joyce Manor and Vampire Weekend on my way to high school back in Miami. It all felt very familiar in the best way possible. Loose Buttons really knows how to groove.
Eric Nizgretsky, guitarist and front person, shimmed his way through the set, making the show all the more fun. His stage presence was lively and infectious, and the crowd fed off the high energy of his performance. Throughout the set, Eric would converse with the crowd, but would quickly jump back into insane riffs and breakdowns that kept the audience on their toes.
You could tell the band had a strong relationship. Whenever a song was played, there was always a friendly smile on everyone’s face. There was always laughter interspersed. You could tell that they all grew up together, there was a genuine sense of camaraderie. Finishing out the set with a song that will soon be featured in their debut LP, a small pit of people began to break out to their colossal sounds. Stay tuned and watch out for their new album "Something Better", out February 7th, 2020.
Winners of the WPIR x Loose Buttons Ticket Giveaway ~
“I ended up having a great time, and I found some new music too!” - Renee
"I found some great new artists I like and I can't wait to do this again.” - Paige
TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB @ The Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom 09.13.19
photos + words by Pam Wang
Two Door Cinema Club hit New York City with a powerfully energetic show at The Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom this past month. The band was accompanied by Overcoats, a badass, electronic-pop duo from New York.
Two Door Cinema Club took to the stage with a vibrant, colorful energy. The punchy graphics and bold red and blue colors emanating from the screens behind transformed the stage into a colorful playground. Each song was supported by fun animations or hypnotizing, abstract illusions. Not only was the stage decked out in a primary color scheme – which references the aesthetics of the band’s newest album, False Alarm, – but, lead singer Alex Trimble was also dressed to match.
The band played a nice balance of older songs and newer hits off False Alarm. Hearing their more classic and iconic music was a transportive experience. I was taken back to specific moments in my life when certain songs were most prevalent. Very rarely am I flashed with tons of memories triggered by a single band’s body of work. It was a euphoric sensation.
Two Door Cinema Club continues their world tour until the end of November. You can find a list of tour dates on their website and Facebook.
In a tightly packed room, trying to bury myself at the front of the stage, Berrin comes out in lace and leather -- staring onto the crowd with a mischievous smirk. Eclectic with a raw edge, Pom Pom Squad’s EP release show was a marker in their growth from a (as front woman Mia Berrin called it) “baby band” to rolling with the big leagues soon enough. Ow is their newest EP that delves into topics such as trauma, coping, finding validation in one’s own grief. Ow is also so much more than an EP.
At the release show, you saw people crying while mouthing the lyrics because that’s what Pom Pom Squad’s talent can evoke. From Berrin’s body dangling over the crowd to her heavy growl, for me, I felt catharsis every single time. So much so, it was difficult to swallow my own tears during their set.
At the end of the set, everyone screamed for not just one but TWO encore songs, moving Berrin to tears. “These are no longer mine. These are for you,” Berrin said in reference to her tears. For their final song, people opened up the pit and started to slam one another’s bodies into each other. I almost destroyed my camera wanting to go in but I thought I was safer than sorry to not.
A fun yet emotional set, Pom Pom Squad is definitely on the rise to nothing short of wonderful success.
The Regrettes + Hot Flash Heat Wave @ Rough Trade 8.9.19
photos + words: Ava Scott
Rough Trade, Friday, August 9th, 11:15pm. The lights are up, I’m windy and giggly and collecting my camera from my poor boyfriend—forced to hold it while I raged in the night’s final mosh pit.
But let’s start at the beginning.
Hot Flash Heat Wave started their set a few minutes after 9:00pm. I don’t really remember much of their set. Despite the flamboyant patterns and colors of their hair and shirts, their stage presence was lackluster. Their songs rather blended together—though I suppose consistency is a good thing sometimes. The most exciting part of their set was the blue lights during “Sky So Blue” on bassist/vocalist Ted Davis’s hair— which turned safety green while his face and zebra print shirt radiated magenta. He looked like Warhol’s Marilyn but with less sex appeal.
After a brief intermission, The Regrettes took the stage for a soundcheck. Stoked as I was for The Regrettes, I was really confused for the first song and a half of their performance. What I had envisioned the night to be and what was unfolding before me in the petite venue were so far from being the same page that they might as well have been different books. I was unprepared for the amount of jumping, hair thrashing, and moshing that was coming from the audience and the band. Their new album, How Do You Love?™, released only hours before they took the stage, didn’t exactly strike me as punk—granted, I think of punk as outlandish, testosterone-fueled, anarchy by people like Iggy Pop, the New York Dolls, and The Clash—so I was rattled when a small group of individuals started to through themselves at each other.
Lydia Night, The Regrettes frontwoman, was visibly pleased with the hard-core dancing, but paused their performance to tell us we weren’t going hard enough and to prove her wrong in thinking that New York is stuffy—especially on the night of their big, album launch.
The audience seemed to be struggling to match the boundless energy of the band; there was not a song in which they weren’t moving across the stage, springing up and down, or flashing each other the biggest smiles. What Hot Flash Heat Wave had lacked in stage presence The Regrettes had taken and Night used to command the audience. She had us get down and bounce and build to explosive chorus dance parties; she had us part the sea and collide together into a mess of bodies thrashing around to the music.
With the bursts of energy came bursts of emotions. After performing “Fog,” Night started to tear and was comforted by bandmates Genessa Gariano (guitar), Brooke Dickson (bass), and Drew Thomsen (drums). She sniffled a bit and said, “I knew tears were going to come tonight, but I thought they’d be after the show was over.”
How can you cry though when you’re filled to the brim with the energy from a room full of women dancing their hearts out? Night took the mic before The Regrettes’ final song and ordered all the women (and non-binary) people to gather really close to the stage. Out of reach from potentially grabby hands, elbows to the face from people much taller than us, and judgmental stares from macho men, the female population let loose during “Poor Boy” in some of the most organized and exhilarating moshing I’ve ever been a part of.
we were joined by greyon green, poppy red, + spook fish for a wonderful, inaugural station show last night! thanks to everyone who came through and packed the room (special shout out to those who watched from the windows with blankets). was a really special night and we hope to have you all back soon for our spring fest!
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