Carseat Headrest, Bartees Strange @ Brooklyn Steel

by Emilio Herce | Apr 12, 2022 | Shows

Carseat Headrest at Brooklyn Steel (photo by Emilio Herce)

Will Toledo is one of the sharpest and most emotionally affecting songwriters of his generation, full stop. It’s possible that he (and his band Car Seat Headrest) don’t receive the credit they’re due because his band performs loud (!) and he has taken to wearing a mask (reminiscent of Donnie Darko’s Frank The Bunny) on stage. It may be easy, but wrong, to dismiss his impressive live show (and the lights and mask) as a form of spectacle (they are awe-inspiring), but to do so would be missing the point.

I was lucky enough to attend and shoot Car Seat’s first of three sold-out shows at Brooklyn Steel on March 29th, 2022. Toledo and band performed a sharp set full of songs from 2020’s underrated Making A Door Less Open including “Weightlifters,” “Hollywood,” and “Can’t Cool Me Down,” but CSH also delved into songs off the excellent Teens of Denial and the re-released (and album I’m currently obsessed with) Twin Fantasy.

It’s clear that Toledo has graduated from the lo-fi bedroom recordings that broke him on Bandcamp, lead to his signing to Matador, and has inspired a devoted fandom (including Smashmouth). He’s both an inspired songwriter and poised to take over the role of stadium headliner with one of the finest live bands around. Also, credit to him, that with the bunny mask he’s the only other person other than Britney Spears to figure out how to make a headset mic look cool. Rising indie star Bartees Strange opened the show, returning to Brooklyn Steel after a string of opening dates for Lucy Dacus (see our photos/review here) saw him rock the venue last fall.

Scroll down for pics of the show (photos by Emilio Herce)