Right before shit royally hit the fan in March of 2020, I saw Control Top and Weeping Icon play at Union Pool (with Privacy Issues. See my coverage for BrooklynVegan) who were just kicking off a tour together. The mood in the air was ominous and indeed, so were the times; within a week of that show both bands had returned home, the tour cut short because live music was done (for what we didn’t know at the time was for almost 18 months) and lockdown had begun.
Flash forward two and a half years and we—the bands and the fans—finally got the do-over we deserved and were all waiting for, in the form of Control Top playing their first full band show in NYC since March 2020 and being joined by Weeping Icon. I’d seen both bands since that fateful night— some of the first shows I saw as things began to creep back in 2021 were Ali of Control Top playing a sunrise solo show on the Williamsburg Bridge (see pics) and Weeping Icon also at TV Eye (see pics), but it was an absolute delight seeing them together again. Sonically they occupy two different ends of the punk/post punk spectrum, but they work perfectly together.
This was also my first time seeing Weeping Icon since the addition of Heather Elle (also of Flossing) on noise and samples. The WI sound has always been very textured and nuanced, particularly on their records, so it was great to see them with this added layer live.
Control Top was as fiery as ever, blasting through a set of songs largely taken from their excellent 2019 album, Covert Contracts, and excitingly, adding in a few new songs. While nothing has been announced as of yet, here’s hoping this means a follow up album is in the works for 2023.
Also on the bill was Philly based metal band, Sonja, who kicked things off with a hard and heavy set, with this show serving as the release show of their brand new album, Loud Arriver.
It was an amazing full circle moment to finally see Control Top as a trio again and to see them re-unite with Weeping Icon. More shows like this in my life please!
Scroll down for pics of the show (photos by Kate Hoos)
Recently, an absolutely insane and incredible lineup of bands hit the rooftop of Our Wicked Lady, eight bands in all, ranging from noise to synth punk to hardcore. It was one for the books and featured some of NYC’s best current DIY bands.
The show was organized by MG Stillwaggon, lead singer of Spite FuXXX, and was a benefit for Gaza Mutual Aid Collective and Palestinian Youth Movement, both organizations doing vital work for Palestine in the face of the despicable US sanctioned cruelty Palestinians face on a daily basis. Despite the chilly and rainy day, a sizable crowd came out to support and made the entire day a back and forth from artist to performers with band members jumping into the crowd often and audience members grabbing instruments and mics to join in just as often. $1300 was raised at the door with additional donations being made via merch sales and by those who wished to donate via Venmo directly to the organizations.
The lineup was stacked from start to finish and not one set left me disappointed. In order of the day, the show featured: intense noise punk from Ken Mujo, cathartic as fuck transcore punk from The Dilators, bass and drums horror punk from Winter Wolf, trashy synth punk from Spite FuXXX, and a range of sharply political hardcore from the final four acts— La Milagrosa, Kartel, Dog Breath, and All Torn Up! who was playing one of their first NYC shows since the start of the pandemic. If you were going to make a list of some of my favorite current NYC bands, each and every one of these bands would be on it. (La Milagrosa and Dog Breath are newer to me so I’m still exploring their recorded output but both put on amazing, hard hitting sets.)
All Torn Up!
After the show, Spite FuXXX said on Instagram “Thank you everyone for making this happen!!! The energy (and crowd participation!) at this show was full of what truly punk is and has always been about—we all know the system don’t got our backs, but WE have each other’s backs ❤️❤️❤️ every band brought the fire and the audience gave it right back, everyone respected and looked out for and boosted each other.🔥 THIS🔥IS 🔥 WHY 🔥 WE 🔥 DO 🔥 THIS! 🔥”
I took a plethora of pics at the show, it was so high energy and the vibes so good as the community came together, it was hard to hold back. I’ll let the pics speak for themselves and recommend you check out all of these bands, all of whom are doing vital work in the community here in NYC and well beyond. And if you have the means, please consider donating to one of these organizations to help aide in the fight against the oppression of Palestine.
Scroll down for pics of the show (photos by Kate Hoos)
Amyl and The Sniffers have been on a relentless tour during most of 2022, crisscrossing their home country of Australia as well as Europe and making two different trips to North America in support of their latest album, Comfort To Me. Having sold out Brooklyn Steel this past May (a show I unfortunately missed due to being abroad at the time), they returned to New York last week to take on Terminal 5 and brought their pub rock rodeo to the cavernous former nightclub along with stellar support acts Mannequin Pussy (Philadelphia) and Bob Vylan (London) making for a truly international night of high intensity, multi-faceted punk rock. I also worked the show for the venue and this is one of those shows that made me pinch myself not only in that the lineup was so good but wow, someone is giving me a paycheck to attend?! Shows like this make me even more grateful for my job (which I am already pretty damn grateful for) and so happy to be able to do what I do.
Hip-hop punk duo Bob Vylan kicked off the night and after doing some warm up stretches, went in full steam ahead. Starting the set with “I Heard You Want Your Country Back,” they wasted no time taking command of the stage and wowing the early crowd with their fervid performance, repeating the refrain “I heard You want your country back, shut the fuck up!” Their set was a high octane blast of political and righteous fury, which saw vocalist Bobby Vylan in and out of the crowd more than once (and waiving off security saying “I’m a man of the people”) while spitting rhymes critical of the UK and society as a whole, asking much needed questions about power, control, and the poisons that continue to plague the world. He was backed with furious pre-recorded guitar riffs and the hard hitting live beats of drummer Bobbie Vylan. I feel bad for everyone who arrived late and didn’t get to see their set because they really missed out.
They’re a band who has been on my radar to see but wasn’t sure when they’d make it to the States so I was more than delighted when I learned they’d be on this lineup. They’re just starting to make inroads in the US and are very much a band to keep your eyes on. There are not many acts performing at this level, already perfectly primed to be taking on much bigger stages so don’t sleep on them. They told me after the show that they plan to return to the US next spring for their own headline dates and I am very much anticipating that. (Read an interview with the band talking about their most recent album, Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life.)
Bob Vylan at Terminal 5
Philadelphia’s Mannequin Pussy hit the middle slot and were another band that somehow had always dodged my being able to see them for some reason or another. Grateful that the drought has now ended, I loved their set of hard edged indie pop punk, synth twinged ragers. Hit after hit, song after song, they kept things dialed way up to 11 and kept audience engagement high. Around halfway through their set, singer Missy Dabice made time to speak on critically important issues that we are currently facing, which was mostly met first with rapt attention and then with cheers, though one triggered old man in the back near where I was at that point yelled “shut the fuck up I didn’t come here for a lecture, this is a punk show!” which fortunately Dabice was much too far away to hear and thus kept going (not that she would or should have stopped for this fossil’s feelings anyway).
This absolutely confounded me and left me gobsmacked because yeah I came to a punk show too! And I absolutely WANT to hear the bands addressing these issues and calling out systemic inequality and WANT to be part of the solutions; I have a very hard time understanding those who don’t. Grandpa was clearly lost and hopefully shuffled his way out the door not long after or better yet, took the time to stop being obstinate and actually listen to what these artists were so clearly saying. Similarly, bassist Colins Rey Regisford addressed issues facing Black and Brown people and sent their final powerful song of the night, the anti cop ripper “Pigs Is Pigs,” “to every Black and Brown person in the room,” jumping down to sing on the barrier directly to the crowd for a major highlight of the evening.
Missy Dabice of Mannequin Pussy addressing the crowd
“Pigs Is Pigs” live in 2021
The crowd well and truly at a fever pitch, it was time for Amyl and The Sniffers to hit the stage and hit it they did, coming out to the soundtrack of the Cardi B instant classic, “WAP,” before launching themselves out of a cannon and into a blistering 18 song set of punk rock mania.
And while this band seemingly comes in a fun, party package—with crunchy power chords and white hot guitar leads, rowdy sing along choruses and a holy helping of snark from singer Amy Taylor—that is just the entry point into the political nature of many of their songs and their existence as a band. The venue was labeled with signs making it very clear where they stand on the issue of sexual assault and discrimination, doing their best to ensure everyone who attended had a good and safe time. As someone who runs a blog and also works full time in venues so thus is at shows almost every single day, this is something I don’t see many bands doing even in 2022 and is especially surprising that more don’t after so many allegations have been raised against abusive men in bands and audience behavior has been questioned (IE cis men in audiences). I was thrilled to help hang the signs up before the show and I truly wish that more artists would follow this example and have similar very bluntly stated zero tolerance policies for their shows.
In keeping with the political themes and raising awareness, Taylor sent the forceful and unfortunately relatable “Knifey” out to “all my women and non-binary mates,” which was met with cheers not because we like the subject matter, but because all of us can relate to the fear of walking home alone at night and being assaulted by a predatory man and all of us can relate to taking the power back from those very same men. At another point when remarking on Australian culture and AC/DC, she told the crowd “whenever you think of AC/DC, remember the First Nation’s peoples because Australia always was and always will be Aboriginal land.” Other highlights of the night were the trio of heavy hitting personal favorites “Control,” “Freaks to the Front,” and “Gacked On Anger,” which kicked off their set and the late set pairing of “Got You,” and “Snakes” which Taylor introduced by saying Australians were afraid to come to the States because of all the guns and Americans are afraid to go to Australia because of all the snakes (count me among them, no thanks to snakes!).
Spitfire performers through and through, the entire band captivated the audience; Taylor strutted back and forth in a gold lamé body suit, with all the prowess of a 1980s WWF wrestler, keeping the amped up crowd fully in her sway while the rest of the band—guitarist Dec Martins, drummer Bryce Wilson and bassist Fergus Romer—rocked and rolled behind her. Taylor eventually jumped down into the thick of things to be closer to the crowd for a song, made a pit stop to dance with a security guard, and then sang directly to the delighted fans on the barrier, not one of whom didn’t shout along word for word. A very active crowd, bodies were surfing towards the front and good vibes flying even higher all through the night.
Amyl and The Sniffers at Terminal 5
This was one of those shows that I’m going to remember for a long time to come, truly a through and through banger for the ages. Anyone who came to sing their hearts out and get a cathartic blast of punk positivity certainly came to the right place too. And in my book, you really can’t ask for anything better than that.
Scroll down for setlist, live videos and pics of the show (photos by Kate Hoos)
Amyl and The Sniffers setlist: Control, Freaks to the Front, Gacked on Anger, Monsoon Rock, Maggot, Shake Ya, Capital, Security, Choices, Guided By Angels, Knifey, GFY, Don’t Need A Cunt (Like You to Love Me), Got You, Snakes, Balaclava Lover Boogie, Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled), Hertz
FTA is in the UK! Or rather I am currently in the UK, and that being the case, I figured why not make a playlist of my favorite UK artists to share? I’m always down to share tunes and want to start making playlists and such more of a thing we feature, so here you go!
This is a list of my favorites that range from DIY punk to down tempo electronic to Northern Irish protest songs and indie songs sung in Welsh. Speaking of which, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind readers (who I assume are mostly American) that the United Kingdom is made up of four individual countries— England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales—all of which have their own vibrant culture and histories. Indeed, the UK is not just England even though that is what most Americans think of when they hear the worlds “United Kingdom.” And though yes, England is the most represented on this playlist, I tried my best to include songs I love from all four constituent nations.
Also, this is meant to be a snapshot of my personal tastes and what I’ve been listening to most over the last few years; this is not a definitive list. I left off all of the biggies and obvious ones, you all know who the Beatles and Blur are (and I was never a huge Britpop person anyway), and who the greats of every decade are, so I didn’t feel a need to include bands like New Order, Culture Club, Sabbath, Zeppelin or The Rolling Stones etc even though I do love their music.
And while most of those big names aren’t here, there are a few notable exceptions because I love those artists and that love transcends the fact that they’re widely known (you’ll know who) and some are too big an influence/regular presence in my life to not include. The things that were left off were not because I don’t enjoy them, but rather to focus more succinctly on the artists I did pick, some of whom I know you’ve never heard of and want to make sure you’re aware of them. It’s also only one song per artist because my hope is that if you like what you hear, you’ll be sure to explore more. In any case, enjoy and go ahead in the comments and tell me what you liked and what you’d pick!
When IDLES comes to town, it’s always an explosive event and it’s always a highly emotional experience for me. They are one of my favorite bands and easily one of the ones that has meant the very most to me over the last ten years—I have laughed, I have raged, and yes, I have cried when listening to their music or seeing them play live. And even having seen them four times before, it’s always something I anticipate with immense excitement and I go in like it’s my first time every time. They’re a band that even while I’m shooting, I’m yelling along to as I go; it’s just too hard not to in the moment, camera in hand or not.
King’s Theater was the biggest venue I’ve seen them play yet and at first I wondered what the night would even look like. Seeing them at Brooklyn Steel or Terminal 5 is one thing, but King’s Theater is a resplendent, opulent setting and not the first thing I think of when I think of a band like IDLES. So exactly how would it go with these five brash blokes from the UK with their wildly intense show and bold (and true) leftist opinions, along with the rowdy crowds that accompany them, taking over the venue?
Joe Talbot of IDLES
The answer, as it turns out, was swimmingly. While King’s itself may be elegant, the same could never be said of IDLES and their fans. We are not elegant people and we make no apologies for it. But that didn’t matter in the slightest because it was a night full of joy and rage, beauty and pain, inspiration and emotion all rolled into one. Because scumbags unite and we have to stick together, be it inside of fancy venues or out in the streets. (I sadly passed on the “scumbags unite” jacket at the merch stand but it was very tempting indeed.) They were supported by opening act Injury Reserve, a glitchy experimental dark wave hip hop group that set a nice tone for the evening and eased the crowd into the chaos that was to come.
Musically speaking, and from a performance perspective, IDLES is not a band that has never held back in the slightest and are hands down one of the best live bands you will ever see, regardless of genre. As time has gone on they have only honed their craft more and more, now reaching a level of live prowess that I can only imagine would match the height of 1970s arena rock bands, they are just that good and just that massive of a presence. Indeed, they filled every single inch and atom of space in the cavernous reaches of King’s, the air practically crackling with electricity.
They played a set that spanned their four albums and packed in plenty of fan favorites like “I’m Scum,” “1049 Gotho,” “Mother,” and “Danny Nedelko” along with newer songs like “Car Crash” and “Crawl!” and even a few surprises in the mix, namely “Wizz,” the 30 second chaotic frenzy of a hardcore song that I was not expecting to hear. Not one person stayed still inside that venue from the instant they took the stage to the ominous thunder of “Colossus,” until the final chaos of “Rottweiler” had reached the ceiling far above the audiences’ head.
Playing “Rottweiler”
This show also saw the return of guitarist Mark Bowen to the fold who had missed the early leg of the tour on paternity leave. Dressed in a flowery frock special for the occasion and fiery and bombastic as ever, it was as if he hadn’t missed a beat being off the road. His trademark crowd surfing karaoke session was a huge hit with the fans and a highlight of the show, this time regaling the crowd with the Peaches & Herb’s classic “Reunited,” among snippets of other popular songs. Singer Joe Talbot and the band have always been open with expressing their immense gratitude to the fans and venue workers (as a venue worker myself, thanks for that kind sirs) and he made sure to thank everyone for coming more than once, saying “you saved my life so thank you very much” before sending “The Wheel” out to “my mother and yours.”
We live in very challenging and infinitely complicated times, “shit is always fucked up,” doesn’t even begin to cover it and sometimes it truly feels like there is absolutely nothing left to hold on to. But then I put on an IDLES album, or I go see them live, and I am instantly reminded that the truest act of resistance we have is joy. Pure and unbridled unapologetic joy, no matter how sweaty or “ugly” it might get and no matter who or what is trying to stomp the life out of us.
As Talbot said at one point in the show “you may well be lonely but you are never alone,” and one can really feel that on a deep level through their music, particularly when you see them perform it in person. I thanked them a year ago at the conclusion of my coverage of their double header at Terminal 5 (see night one and night two) for being a healing salve to my heart and I thank them again now, for continuing to be that guiding light and helping hand even when it seems there isn’t anything else I can grasp hold of. I and all of their fans owe them a debt of gratitude not only for the great tunes but for giving us a glimmer of hope in hard times.
Scroll down for setlist, fan shot videos and pics of the show (photos by Kate Hoos)
Setlist: Colossus, Car Crash, Mr. Motivator, Grounds, Mother, Divide and Conquer, The Beachland Ballroom, Never Fight A Man With A Perm, Crawl!, 1049 Gotho, The Wheel, Television, A Hymn, War, Wizz, I’m Scum, Danny Nedelko, Rottweiler
