GHOST BEACH + ASTR PLAY THE KNITTING FACTORY

New York’s own Ghost Beach and ASTR tranced their way across the Knitting Factory stage Friday night, thrilling the 20-something crowd with their electro-fusion sounds at the sold out show. The four-piece Ghost Beach ensemble layered their beats with pops of delicately harmonized vocals and guitar riffs creating anthemic swells that had the audience waving their arms in the air like they just didn’t care. The lead singer, Josh Ocean, remarked several times that many of their songs had been written “100 feet across the street” from the Knitting Factory adding a sweet note of homecoming to their performance. Ocean’s furry jumper and techno colored kicks was a noted throwback to a velvet goldmine time when music wanted to be new and different.

The crowd swelled in number as the ASTR duo took the stage, the red-haired vixen lead singer, Zoe, taking full command of the audience right off the bat. Grinding, whirling and slithering across her platform, Zoe wrapped her admirers around her snaky hips and took them on a journey of electro-pop music encouraging sing-alongs and rhythmic crowd bouncing in time with her partner’s technological beats. One audience member called out that their show at Governor’s Island had changed his life, proving that ASTR has already built a solid, rabid fan base that will carry them throughout their career. Both bands showed a true belief in their music and made a strong case for vocal based techno-driven pop that could prove an interesting staple to the New York music scene.

Article by: Hannah Soule