Secret Weapons & A Great Big World Play Gramercy

There is a lot of buzz surrounding Secret Weapons– they throw large parties, banter like brothers and most importantly, make great music. The Brooklyn based duo opened for A Great Big World’s album release concert at Gramercy Theatre Wednesday night and true to form brought their electo-pop, beat-stomping sound.

Gerry and Danny’s DJ past was evident. Each song took listeners on a journey through different thoughts and feels until the audience had no choice but to surrender to the dance jams. The rhythm section bolstered the melodic vocals. Even those in attendance who were not familiar with Secret Weapons’ electro ballads were singing the catchy lyrics of “Something New.”

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And if their sound didn’t get you, their dancing did. Danny fashioned an ‘80s electric slide that put Prince to shame. The whole band looked like they were having a blast jamming on stage. If I had anything to complain about it was that they didn’t play a longer set ahead of A Great Big World.

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A Great Big World gained unprecedented recognition when they rerecorded their song “Say Something” with Christina Aguilera. The song debuted at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and eventually landed at number four. While many first learned of AGBW because of its collaboration with Aguilera, Ian Axel and Chad King are poetic lyricists in their own right.

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The New York duo celebrated the release of their newest LP, “When the Morning Comes” and played a set like no other. Each place in the stadium-seating venue was taken- with a few reserved for Axel and King’s closest family. Everything about the night echoed AGBW’s emphasis on the importance of love and acceptance. Throughout the entire set, AGBW thanked listeners for being there and supporting them. In response, the crowd backed the group like a church choir, singing every song. At the end of the set Axel and King invited Secret Weapons and Rip Chord back onto the stage so all three groups could sing AGBW’s “Shorty Don’t Wait” arm-in-arm.