Happy New Year! Welcome back! You look… well, we all put a bit of weight on over the holidays. Did you have a nice break? Me too. Any resolutions? No, me either. The important thing is we made it through 2015. New year, same drill, here are the top 5 shows of the weekend!
5) Unstoppable Death Machines, Talibam!, Crisis Actors, Big Bitch at The Gateway
The Gateway is a relatively new DIY venue on the East border of Bedstuy (off the Gates AV J/Z subway stop), and it’s certainly doing it right with lineups such as Thursday’s offering of scuzzy rock (Unstoppable Death Machines), experimental noise/avant garde (Talibam!), a garage rock band playing their debut show (Crisis Actors) and, well, what can you even say about a band called Big Bitch? Well played, everyone. Well played. Thursday 8pm
4) Tall Juan, Slavve, Sister Flowerz at Berlin
Queens artist Tall Juan is playing at Berlin (the venue, which is underneath the rather lovely 2A bar in the East Village), before heading off on a European tour (where he is not playing Berlin, the city, however). Don’t miss Slavve, who have been a little quiet since releasing their self-titled EP back in June, but the 2-piece pack a hell of a punch. Opening the show is Sister Flowerz, who will give a more subtle, ghostly flavour to the evening. Saturday 8pm
3) Pyrrhon, Vomit Fist, Cadaveric Spasm, Replicant at Palisades
Experimental Death Metal? It’ll have to do when it comes to describing Pyrrhon. who featured in This One Goes to Eleven’s top 10 metal albums of 2014, and have since followed that up with an EP, Growth Without End, that came out last summer. Things won’t let up all night with Vomit Fist, Cadaveric Spasm and Replicant also pushing the PA at Palisades to the limit. Remember kids, wear earplugs! Sunday 8pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeXA_j5MtHc
2) Pill, Future Punx, Acid Dad, Gingerlys, Surf Rock is Dead, Dreamcrusher, Vomitface at Baby’s All Right
This show is billed as “NYC’s Hardest Working Bands of 2015”, with those featured amassing what must be close to 200 shows (or more) in New York between them last year, it would be hard to argue. Note the early start time, which isn’t surprising given the number of acts. Saturday 4pm
1) Sheer Agony, Outside World, Dirty Blondes, Memorial Gore at Cake Shop
Names can be deceiving, and Sheer Agony are anything but. With a delectable jangle, the Montreal 4-piece just released their debut album, Masterpiece, in October. One of the band’s tags on their Bandcamp page is “Soft Boys Worship”, the influence is certainly there and as good a reference point as any. Support comes from bouncy indie-poppers Outside World, lo-fi-tastic Dirty Blondes and Memorial Gore, whose style jumps around from IRS-period REM arpeggios to Parquet Courts circa-Light Up Gold. Friday 8pm
