Camp Cope at Webster Hall (photo by Ray Rusinak)
Australia’s Camp Cope found their way back to New York City this past Wednesday night at Webster Hall for the first time since their 2019 show at Brooklyn’s Warsaw, and needless to say, it was quite the triumphant return. A lot has happened in those 3 years (duhhh). Of course there was Covid, the same Covid which squashed a much anticipated joint solo show at Trans-Pecos which Georgia Maq and Kelly-Dawn Helmrich had planned for Spring 2020. Then of course Maq went back to her day job of nursing, dealing with the Covid outbreak head on. And Helmrich is now expecting her first child.
So it was obvious right from the outset that this Camp Cope was not the same one as the band of shy, bashful and yet extremely confident women that I’d first met in the courtyard of Silent Barn eating takeout pizza before their first ever US gig opening for Jeff Rosenstock (and yet in many ways it was). The obvious physical difference was the addition of Jenny Aslett on second guitar. Furthermore there was Lou Hanman filling in for the too pregnant to tour halfway around the world Helmrich on bass. But that wasn’t all of it. Maq, herself was different (and yet the same) as well. It was almost as if she’s grown into the role of being Georgia. I don’t mean to say that she’s putting on an act onstage but it seems clear to me that she’s now comfortable enough onstage to be the person that those who follow her on the socials are familiar with.
On Wednesday night we were privy to seeing both sides of the front woman. We got the imp who thrives on being a coquettish tease as well as the understated awe struck new comer. I mean not too many could possibly describe a walk through Central Park earlier that day where they witnessed not only one man self pleasuring himself but also another one later on deficating in public with both horror and disgust as well as giggly “wow what a great day” enthusiasm. But she pulled it off glowingly to the delight of the audience.
Camp Cope at Webster Hall
Ok, enough of all that. Now, the show! Opener, Kiley Lotz aka Petal is a true gem and should be paid attention to way more than they are. After only ONE rehearsal (this being their first full band show since pandemic) the four band members put on a wonderful, snappy and entertaining set of Petal favorites, including their magical cover of Stevie Nicks’ “Silver Springs”, which she introduced with the vignette that if Stevie hadn’t been able to have an abortion there would have been no Fleetwood Mac. What a damn shame that would have been. (And it’s also why reproductive rights are so important, so women can live their full lives on their own terms without compromise or apology.)
Camp Cope came out and opened their set with, appropriately enough “Keep Growing,” a single from 2016 which was later included on a split they released in 2017 with Cayetana. They followed that with “Jealous,” a real crooner off of the new album, Running with the Hurricane. As I mentioned earlier, the band is touring this go around with a different lineup and the results were evident right from the get go. With the addition of a second guitarist, Maq is now freed up to just focus on her singing, something she was not able to do previously as the group’s only guitarist. And at this point, let me say that her singing? <Chef’s Kiss> After having throat surgery a few years back, it’s safe to say she is fully recovered and sounding better than ever. This was quite self evident on the album already but that doesn’t always translate in a live setting. In Maq’s case it certainly does and she sounded fantastic. And as long as I’m discussing vocals, the addition of Aslett as well as Hanman on background vocals adds a whole new dimension to the group’s sound, one which I never realized was missing. But now that I’ve heard it, I absolutely love it.
After alternating a couple of new and older tracks, Sarah Thompson (how have I gotten this far and not mentioned the backbone and self proclaimed “mother” of Camp Cope, Thommo?) starts us off with a killer Charlie Watts drum intro which has me thinking, “they’re not gonna Brown Sugar are they?” They didn’t. But they did do a totally rad version of “The Mountain” from the new album which sounded a lot different from the album version, much more of an upbeat rocker than the recorded version.
Camp Cope at Webster Hall
By this point in the show, Maq had picked up the guitar and you could really appreciate the addition of the second guitar to the band’s sound. Not surprisingly, it was so much fuller, so much rounder than it had been in year’s past. Which also brings me to Kelly-Dawn Helmrich’s replacement on bass, Lou Hanman. I’ve been very familiar with Hanman as a musician for some time now. It seems like she’s played in virtually every band that’s come out of Philadelphia in recent memory. Oh and by the way, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that her solo project, All Away Lou, released a banger of an album, Things Will Change, earlier in the year which should most certainly be checked out. So her musicianship was never in doubt when I heard that she would be filling in on this tour on bass. BUT, let’s face it, Helmrich has a very distinct bass style, basically playing “lead” bass. Those bass riffs are as important to the Camp Cope sound as is Maq’s mellifluous singing. Suffice it to say, and not completely surprising, Hanman has nailed it. Especially on “Lost (Season One),” she killed it on the rolling bassline arpeggios, keeping the song flowing at a perfect breakneck pace.
To my ears two of the highlights of the evening were the (arguably) best two songs from Hurricane, “Blue” and the title track, “Running With the Hurricane.” Both songs came to life in a live setting with the band playing at full tilt, the crowd singing along in unison and of course Maq doing her thing front and center. “Blue” also, to the delight of the crowd, mixed in the chorus to Wheatus’s “Teenage Dirtbag”…I guess Dawson’s Creek was syndicated in Australia after all.
Closing out the evening was a slapping version of “The Opener.” I mean what else do you close out your set with other than a song with that title. With the entire room jumping and screaming, it dawned on me that this by far was the most electrified I’d ever seen a Camp Cope crowd get. And that ladies, gentlemen, and fellow human beings is a testament to how far this band has come and grown in their relatively short time together.
Scroll down for pics of the show (photos by Ray Rusinak)
PETAL
CAMP COPE
