I saw openers GROUPLOVE rock a CMJ show about a month ago so I was expecting big things from them at the Bowery Ballroom (11/16). Led by Christian Zucconi and Hannah Hooper, the band did not disappoint. They ran through their debut EP, filling my head with playful harmonies and unending bliss. The music is light, not in a fluffy way, but in a fun way. You can sing along. You can dance (and you will). And it will make you feel very, very good. On “Naked Kids,” the band brings to mind a group of kids running around on a playground, throwing sand and jumping off swings. “Gold Coast” evokes nostalgia for, well, driving down the Gold Coast with the sun in your eyes, hair blowing in the wind and a joint being passed between friends. The rest of the songs were in the same vein, with soaring harmonies, screaming and chanting and lots of guitar. Now headed back to the studio and I’m looking forward to some more good, clean fun.
The Joy Formidable came next, wiping away said bliss and replacing it with 90’s alt-rock angst. As soon as they took the stage, I knew I was in for something very different. I hadn’t heard much of the UK-band because their music is just starting to trickle over. The first single off their upcoming album, “I Don’t Want to See You Like This,” was the best of the night. Lead singer and guitarist Ritzy Bryan is deceivingly harmless. Tiny with a cute blonde bob, Bryan commands the song, delivering the chorus with more oomph than many singers are capable of. The trio, also made up of bassist Rhydian Dafydd and drummer Matt Thomas, were almost too much for the Bowery Ballroom. Their songs manage to be stadium-sized power ballads while maintaining alt-rock credibility. The drums are heavy, fast and messy. Ritzy has enough range to accomplish exactly what she needs to. Her voice is unique enough (somewhere between Bjork and PJ Harvey) to separate this band from all the rest. And Rhydian holds it all together with the bass.
(via cold144)
They’re best when they avoid the quiet love songs. Case in point: “Whirring,” their final song of the night that ended in a five-minute feedback war between all members of the band who scratched, shredded and banged any and all instruments in sight. This is “their” song. It’s got the noise necessary to be considered 90’s and the sincerity to get you to listen to it again. They are a welcome departure from the electro-pop indie bullshit that has taken over the blog0sphere…and the world.
Kate Bonacorsi
