Rhiannon Giddens Can’t Be Pinned Down to Just One Sound at the Beacon Theatre on Saturday

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Rhiannon Giddens – Beacon Theatre – March 16, 2024

Looking down upon the stage from the balcony of the Beacon Theatre awaiting the start of the Rhiannon Giddens show, I was compelled to take stock of all the instruments onstage: multiple banjos, guitars, keyboards, basses, fiddles, accordions. There were at least two of everything, which invited the question of how Giddens and her band were going to use all those music-makers. By the time the show had ended, some 90 minutes later, the sold-out crowd ecstatic in appreciation, the answer was clear: Those instruments would be used every which way and then some. 

The opening instrumental, “Following the North Star,” found Giddens and Dirk Powell going back-and-forth with banjo and fiddle respectively, drums driving a lively rhythm behind them. The six-piece band then settled into “The Love We Almost Had,” which suggested old-school jazz, Powell now on piano matching Francesco Turrisi on organ, with Giddens providing an Ella Fitzgerald–esque scat solo. From there, permutations of players, instruments and genres turned the band into a two-guitar blues outfit on “Wrong Kind of Right,” an accordion-heavy Creole band on “Dimanche Apres-Midi,” a psychedelic Americana ensemble on “Louisiana Man” — a set highlight — an Aretha-soul group on “Too Little, Too Late, Too Bad,” and traditional folkies on “God Gave Noah the Rainbow Sign.” 

Throughout, it was Giddens’ voice and talent and make-the-historical-present worldview that tied it all together. The band’s fun free-for-all was balanced by weightier material: Giddens describing the painful separation of families to introduce “Come Love Come,” fiddle, organ and guitar adding musical pathos to the song, and then the dark rocker “Another Wasted Life,” inspired by the tragic story of Kalief Browder. Despite the serious material, the music was infused with joy and optimism, and Giddens made sure to end on an uplifting note, closing with “Yet to Be,” filling the theater with the words: “Today may break your heart, but tomorrow holds the key / We’ve come so far, but the best is yet to be.”  —A. Stein | @Neddyo

Photo courtesy of Ebru Yildiz | www.ebruyildiz.net

Sleater-Kinney – Racket – March 16, 2024

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After a pair of appearances at Brooklyn Steel earlier in the week in support of their 11th studio album, Little Rope, Sleater-Kinney were still in town on Saturday night, cutting loose in the Meatpacking District at a sold-out Racket.

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Tierra Whack Celebrates Debut Album’s Release at Webster Hall on Friday Night

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Tierra Whack – Webster Hall – March 15, 2024

Philadelphia rap queen Tierra Whack has been getting the party started worldwide with her infectious rhymes for several years now. (It’s probably only a matter of time before she graces the multipurpose-room stage on Abbott Elementary to battle Tariq Temple at a F.A.D.E. showcase.) Whack channels creativity and visual aspirations into her poetic lyrics and the videos that accompany them. From the Grammy-nominated video for “Mumbo Jumbo” to the recent Alex Da Corte–directed “27 Club,” her flair for fashion exudes further joy and pop, as witnessed on World Wide Whack, her debut full-length. She celebrated its release Friday night at a sold-out Webster Hall.   

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With a large inflatable of the World Wide Whack avatar occupying a third of the stage, the rapper appeared adorned in her silver clown suit mirroring the attire from her album’s aesthetics. Opening with track one from her latest, “Mood Swing” appropriately began with  “I’ve been trying new things.” Throughout the show, the crowd indulged in a call-and-response, which warm-up DJ Kill Sing kicked off with a cry of  “worldwide” and requested the “Whack” reply. The admittedly nervous singer would cover the majority of the new songs, from the bounce-inducing “Ms Behave” to the melancholic “Two Night,” Her confidence building thanks to the supportive crowd, Whack effortlessly weaved among rappop, and R&B with her new material. On lead-single “Chanel Pit,” music box melodies danced amongst the spits of cultural references, like Vin Diesel and Resident Evil. Closer “27 Club” grooved to more R&B vibes for a downtempo, contemplative swan song, enrapturing the front row. 

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Tierra Whack didn’t leave her stans without a trip down memory lane, including fan favorites like the bop “Pretty Ugly” and “Fuck Off,” which elicited raised middle fingers across the room. Everybody on the floor happily sang, “He likes my diamonds and pearls,” along with “Hungry Hippo.”  For the first time live, Whack performed her section of Lil Yachty’s “T.D.” before calling it a night. Despite the house lights turning on and exit music playing, everyone stayed put, chanting, “World Wide Whack,” leaving the stage crew unsure if they should halt operations. DJ Kill Sing indicated it might not be the end to this unforgettable night, as a wigless Whack returned to confess she was already shedding her costume. The crowd-manifested encore had the Philly native run off “Peppers and Onions” atop the barricade, before dropping to the floor amid her rabid admirers. —Sharlene Chiu | @Shar0ck

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Photos courtesy of Edwina Hay | thisisnotaphotograph.com

@thesearenotphotographs

HEALTH Bring the Noise to Brooklyn Steel

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HEALTH – Brooklyn Steel – March 15, 2024

HEALTH are a band you just have to see live. Yes, they make and record heart-pumping, synth-heavy noise that on any commute, treadmill or hot-girl walk can transport you to dark-wave metal heaven. But in the flesh? If you were at Steel on Friday, you get it. 

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The esteemed triad, a Los Angeles band, released their first self-titled album in 2007. They’ve been in the game for a while, collaborating with the likes of Crystal Castles, Lamb of God and 100 Gecs, and putting out some seriously good remix albums. Were you to try to genre-stamp HEALTH, I suppose you’d go for industrial. But the band, especially live, ping-pongs comfortably from dub-y hardcore to emo rock (see lead singer Jake Duzsik’s dreamlike, drawn-out vocals) to hard techno. That said, the crowd looked rather uniform: It was the rare concertgoer who was not bedecked in all black. Let’s hear it for the Goths.

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On Friday, HEALTH played a satisfyingly diverse set, including “Crack Metal” (Rat Wars, 2023), a cover of Deftones’ “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” — released this year — and “We Are Water,” off 2009’s Get Color. (Another notable collab, that music video was directed by Eric Warheim.) Drummer BJ Miller was exceptional. His pulsating drum pattern moved the band ever-forward, and his fills were technical delights. John Famiglietti, the bassist and “software player,” is the band’s performance guy, tending to his synth in a split, raising his hands to the sky and head-banging his long locks.

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As a wise man (Famiglietti) once said (in an Instagram Reel), “HEALTH has the best fans and the best vibes in the biz.” While I can’t be the arbiter on that one, the energy was pretty fucking good. It’s impossible to not move at their shows and it’s impossible to not have fun. Before their last song, Duzsik made clear they wouldn’t be doing a performative encore. “This is it,” he said, before launching into “Crusher” (Disco3, 2017). The song’s end was a harsh, loud pounder, a perfect sign-off. —Rachel Brody | @RachelCBrody

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Photos courtesy of Hann Scott | www.instagram.com/ipreferconcerts

Sleater-Kinney – Brooklyn Steel – March 13, 2024

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Sleater-Kinney’s 11th studio album, the unsurprisingly fantastic Little Rope, arrived in January, and at the end of February, the beloved Portland, Ore., rock act set out on an extended North American tour, which brought them to Brooklyn Steel on Wednesday night.

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(Sleater-Kinney play Brooklyn Steel again tonight.)

(Sleater-Kinney play Racket on Saturday night.)

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Photos courtesy of Edwina Hay | thisisnotaphotograph.com

@thesearenotphotographs

The Kooks – Terminal 5 – March 11, 2024

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Touring North America for the first time in five years — belatedly celebrating the 15th anniversary of their debut album, 2006’s Inside In/Inside Out, and their sixth LP, 2022’s 10 Tracks to Echo in the Dark — English rockers the Kooks were back in NYC on Monday night for a sold-out show at Terminal 5.

(The Kooks play Brooklyn Steel tonight.)

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Photos courtesy of Mark Ashe | @markashephotography

Laura Jane Grace – Racket – March 9, 2024

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A week into the new tour in support of her second solo album, the recently released Hole in My HeadAgainst Me! founder Laura Jane Grace was back in NYC on Saturday night for a sold-out show at Racket in the Meatpacking District.

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Photos courtesy of Katie Dadarria | @dadarria

The Dandy Warhols Return to Webster Hall Ahead of New Album’s Release

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The Dandy Warhols – Webster Hall – March 9, 2024

The Dandy Warhols are one of those bands that inspires all manner of wordsmithery in attempted service of what best captures their rather hard-to-describe-but-unmistakable swagger. (I like appealingly louche.) These songs, especially the ones that made them famous as alt-rock scene-stealers starting in the mid ’90s, balance affected distance (you’re convinced you’re just not going to feel as cool as they are) and unspecific but embraceable aggression (this is often so groovy, head-nod-able, danceable, even). Their psychedelic pop and woozy rock leanings set a vibe, and it carries for as long as they choose to keep it coursing. 

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Set up at Webster Hall on Saturday evening, the Dandy Warhols delivered a 75-minute panorama, mixing tunes from throughout their thirtyish years as a going concern, including a few new cuts from their upcoming album, Rockmaker, out on Friday. Some tunes announced themselves with sardonic insistence: “We Used to Be Friends,” “Crack Cocaine Rager” and “Summer of Hate” all pulled you along with various flavors of midtempo chug, pogo or hammering psych. Others took a more subtle approach, such as the bouncy, seductive “Styggo,” the ethereal “I Love You” and “Arpeggio Adagio,” folkie, druggy and trudging. Many of their classics from the late ’90s and early aughts (“Bohemian Like You,” “Godless,” “Boys Better”) turned up as a run of punches and sugar rushes toward the end of the set.

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Frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor, drummer Brent DeBoer and guitarist Peter Holmström climb on top of this music and its gauzy sounds and deliver it nonchalantly, as if they don’t have to produce its cool, just direct it. And the ace in the hole, as ever — with the most entrancing vibe onstage — is Zia McCabe, all over her island of keyboards but never without something extra, whether a piece of percussion shaking from an unoccupied hand, a lead vocal here and there or dancing from her perch — yep, all swagger. —Chad Berndtson | @Cberndtson

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Photos courtesy of Dana Distortion | distortionpix.com

Louis Cole – Brooklyn Steel – March 8, 2024

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Louis Cole might be best known as one-half of the jazz- and funk-tinged avant-pop duo Knower, but he also does his own thing: The multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter’s sixth solo LP, Quality Over Opinion, dropped in 2022, and last year he put out an album of unreleased tracks, the aptly titled Some Unused Songs. On Friday night, he closed out his winter tour at a welcoming Brooklyn Steel.

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Photos courtesy of Ken Grand-Pierre | www.kenamiphoto.com

The Beaches – Music Hall of Williamsburg – March 6, 2024

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They’ve opened for the likes of the Rolling Stones and Foo Fighters, but touring behind their highly anticipated sophomore LP, last year’s stellar breakup album Blame My Ex, Toronto rock four-piece the Beaches headlined a sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg on Wednesday night.

(The Beaches play Music Hall of Williamsburg again tonight.)

(The Beaches play Royale in Boston on Friday.)

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Photos courtesy of Samantha Schraub | @samcsch