Bat House at The Sultan Room (photo by Juliette Boulay)
An assemblage of queer post-punk bands played at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn on August 7th— Bat House, Thus Love, and Flossing. All loud and proud in their own rite, they put on a show to be remembered. There was a sense of community in the air, dancing (yes dancing, not moshing), and a general sense of openness that intimate venues like The Sultan Room bring to the table.
The first opener was Flossing, a two-piece led by Heather Elle (who’s also in noise-punk band Weeping Icon). Elle is a force with poetic lyrics that often use social media and ecommerce functionalities to comment on today’s clout-chasing culture and capitalism as a whole. Her vocals and bass mixed with James Maclay’s poppy percussion led the crowd in sex-positive songs like “Switch” and cheeky bops like “Men on the Menu”. Flossing had a really tight set overall that felt both intimate and just like their recordings. Dancable, bold, and a unique blend of feminist fury and fun.
While this was Flossing’s first live show, it was powerful and felt so natural. The pair commanded the crowd’s attention, delivered a tight performance, and conveyed an infectious passion for what they do.
The show continued on with Thus Love, a band from Brattleboro, VT. The band has two super catchy singles out off their upcoming album, Memorial, so I was excited to see them from the get-go. Their set was really fun, energetic, and matched the excitement of everyone there to support them. Singer & guitarist Echo Mars killed it, flouncing and strutting around the stage without skipping a beat while bassist Nathaniel van Osdol and drummer Lu Racine kept it rolling steady.
After listening to Thus Love more recently and seeing them live, I can see why outlets like Rolling Stone and Rough Trade have been writing about them. They have a unique sound and their songs are really well-written.
Thus Love
You can check out their singles here and pre-save Memorial. If you like Tears for Fears or just want something new to get stuck in your head, I’d highly recommend giving them a listen.
Thus Love cleared the stage to open it up for headlining band, Bat House. This group came down from Boston to play a set of post-punk tunes with diverse intonations. Some songs felt jammy while others seemed influenced by Beach House. I loved their sonic range, watching the crowd dance to the music, and seeing their friend chill on the back of the stage while enthusiastically playing maracas for every song.
Bat House
The show was generally dope and I’m glad I went. A lot of local bands showed up to support and it was nice to be around the warm sense of community.
For more events like this, you can check out The Sultan Room’s event page here and follow the bands linked above.
Scroll down for pics of the show (photos by Juliette Boulay)
FLOSSING
THUS LOVE
BAT HOUSE
