“My friend told me no one has fun in Brooklyn past 11, so I said, ‘Fuck it. Let’s play at 11:15,’” said Ivan Howard of the indie pop/rock duo The Rosebuds Friday night at Rough Trade. He and partner-in-music Kelly Crisp played a full and diverse set, showing off how much the band has changed in style and mood over the years.
When the duo snuck onto the stage, Crisp, the petite, platinum-blonde-haired keyboardist, stuck her gum on her keyboard and was all smiles while waiting for Howard to cue the band in. When he did, they broke into “Like Life” from their fourth album.
The show was timely, as The Rosebuds released their newest album, Sand + Silence, yesterday. The set – 15 songs and three more for the encore – showcased both old and new and demonstrated the band’s vacillation between buoyant tunes of the past and the more recent tendency towards a darker, gloomier sound. Some of the favorites included “Get Up Get Out,” “Blue Eyes,” and make out jam “Give Me A Reason.”
Opening acts Dana Booey and Jesse Marchant respectively embodied both ends of The Rosebuds’ stylistic arch so far. Dana Booey’s booming electronics and Jesse Marchant’s pensive retrospection created an obvious middle ground, which The Rosebuds occupied with ease and flair.
Article by: Alexa Tietjen
