The Paranoyds at Market Hotel (photo by Kate Hoos)
LA garage punks The Paranoyds recently dropped their stellar new album, Talk Talk Talk (Third Man), and hit NYC for their first show in over two years, kicking off Halloweekend. They took the stage at Market Hotel in bright colorful outfits, as if telling the crisp autumn air to fuck off. Paper Magazine once likened them to splitting the difference between The Go-Go’s and Bratmobile and I think that still rings true. They’ve got all the snark and bite of the riot grrrl bands that came before them coupled with great pop sensibilities to round things out, making for some catchy as hell tunes. And it makes for a seriously killer live set too. I especially enjoyed the vocal interplay of bassist Staz Lindes and guitarist Lexi Funston who trade off on lead, with Laila Hashemi coming out from behind the keys for a turn on lead vocals (and jaunt into the crowd) for a song too, all three backing each other up when not on main vocals.
This date came right in the middle of their cross country tour in support of the album, and after a stand alone four show run supporting Jack White as well as an appearance at Desert Daze, so they were more than primed, firing on all cylinders with a tight, super fun set. And NYC definitely missed them during their time away (no) thanks to the pandemic. The crowd welcomed them with open arms and plenty of active participation and singing along throughout the night, complete with one fan climbing the infamous support column in the middle of the floor at Market, wearing his Paranoyds shirt and exuberantly rocking out towards the end of the night. A fitting end for a raucous set.
The night was opened BK local garage wunderkinds, 95 Bulls, who also released an album this year, Go Home, which has been in heavy rotation at FTA headquarters. Helmed by the powerful “Janice Joplin meets Mia Zapata” pipes of Emily Ashenden, and fueled with plenty of organ and a driving rhythm section, this band is always a ton of fun to watch. Direct support came from Tchotchke, the up and coming indie trio which features Anastasia Sanchez (drums/lead vocals) and Eva Chambers (bass/backing vocals) formerly of Pinky Pinky. The trio is rounded out by guitarist Emily Tooraen and builds on the foundation they established in their earlier project, with Sanchez’s solid drumming and particularly unique vocals taking a lot of the central focus. Their self titled debut album arrived this past summer and they are a band to keep your eyes on for sure.
This lineup was a fun one, a perfect kickoff to Halloweekend and one of the highlights of my Rocktober, a month that saw me at shows ranging from L7 to Steve Lacy, DIY punk to EDM, and lots of stuff in between. Out of many, this is one I won’t soon forget!
Scroll down for music vids from each band and pics of the show (photos by Kate Hoos)
95 BULLS
TCHOTCHKE
THE PARANOYDS
