Dog Date, Pons, Joudy, Frida Kill @ Knitting Factory

by Kate Hoos | Feb 24, 2022 | Shows

Dog Date at Knitting Factory (photo by Kate Hoos)

We all need a midweek pick me up and I for one can’t think of anything better than a killer show to give me the boost I need in life. Forget sports or meeting up for brunch, this rock n roll shit is where it’s at. And so it’s no shocker that I found myself at a show like so many other times when I needed a boost to get through the week and this was a doozy of a lineup. Post punk, noise, psych, garage—this show had plenty of sounds that I love to perk me right up.

Frida Kill kicked off the night and as readers surely know, they are one of my favorites and dear friends of FTA who have been featured several times. Their effortless combination of garage and post punk makes for some killer tunes and my mood is instantly better after every show. Recently they’ve been working on some new stuff and streamlining their set and word also has it that they will have a music video and tape coming out soon, so keep your eyes open for that.

Pons is a band that had been on my list to check out but being that I work nights, I had thus far missed getting to one of their shows. They were worth the wait though and a band that hits lots of styles that I love. The most fitting way I can describe them is a frantic noise punk band that sounds like Brainiac and Hella had a baby that was raised by no wave wolves on acid…which of course I say with the highest compliments. There’s a lot to their sound and I can hear the influence of plenty of experimental elements and a healthy amount of grunge, punk, metal and even surf; it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what is going on, it’s many things all at once, and that is hardly a bad thing. I’ve seen them mentioned as a post punk band a few times as I was looking through their social media but I find that’s the least significant element of their sound (they also don’t have a bassist which I think is a crucial element of post punk) and that the other elements come through most strongly so I’d firmly classify them as noise punk. It’s how they blend those separate aspects together to make their own thing and their intense stage presence that makes them a really exciting band to watch.

Also, one the fastest ways to my heart is always through having two drummers in your band, I can always fuck with two drummers. One played a full kit while the other opted for a standing set up forgoing a bass drum; both ripping plenty of busy fills and heavy beats to compliment the spacey effects laden vocals and manic guitar playing. Pons is by far one of the best new to me bands I’ve seen in 2022 and I look forward to getting out to more shows.

Pons at Knitting Factory

Joudy (pronounced “howdy”) was a band I had never even heard of before the show I am sorry to say. And I say sorry because I wish I’d known about them way sooner because they ripped apart my mind in all the best ways with their heavy psych riffs. Originally from Venezuela and now based in NYC, this is a band that hits hard and shreds harder. I was already getting really into them when around 3/4 of the way through the set I did a double take and almost didn’t even believe I was hearing the opening throb of the bass line from “Angel” by Massive Attack (from the iconic 1998 album Mezzanine), but hearing it I was and I got VERY excited because I absolutely LOVE Massive Attack. I have to say I never envisioned it as a heavy psych song before this show, but it made absolute total sense in that moment and I just found myself entering into an otherworldly zone, lost in the acid guitar and mesmerizing bass.

I have always loved covers that change it up and flip the script, and while this one stayed close to the original song structure, hearing it played by a loud as fuck rock band and ripped away from its original trip hop frame work was incredible and really ticked a lot of boxes for me. The band mentions they are influenced by the British trip hop scene as well in their bio, and while it’s not a comparison I’d immediately think of when I think of a psych band, it lines up so perfectly with their other influences of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and 90s American grunge, these disparate sounds converging together into something greater than the sum of these parts. They are another fantastic new to me discovery and are a band I am FOR SURE going to be keeping my eyes on.

Joudy at Knitting Factory

Dog Date hit the stage in the headlining position to close out the night with a healthy dose of fervid garage punk. Did I already say I had a thing for bands with two drummers? And not only that but two left handed drummers? (One of whom plays full lefty, the other who plays open handed.) This show was quite the treat for the nerdy left handed drummers of this world (though as far as I’m aware, I was the only one in attendance on this night) and I loved watching the dual attack of the Dog Date drummers which was very reminiscent of the Osees stickmen. For song after song the band pummeled through a slew of high octane snappy ear worms and no member of the band spared a single ounce of energy, jumping around and all piling on top of each other at one point.

The band will soon be hitting the road for a few dates with Surfbort, including a stop at Market Hotel on March 3rd (you can count on yours truly to be there) which will make for a wild show every night. I am already envisioning dodging bodies between shots and have been pregaming with repeated listens to their excellent 2021 album, Child’s Play.

Rock n roll will never die. I got the conclusive proof at this show and you heard it here first.