P&W Presents Surf Rock Is Dead + Ski Lodge at Union Pool

Rainy Saturday nights in NYC can be such a drag sometimes, especially in spring when the weather is actually nice enough to be outside after the long miserable winter. Such was not the case last weekend where the rain didn’t seem to bother too many people who were packed outside in the patio area as well as inside the venue at Union pool for another successful Pancakes & Whiskey show.

Crowd at Union Pool

Twin Wave kicked off the night with their mellow indie style with a hint of southern California surf rock thrown into their sound as well. Though the sound wasn’t the best mixed I’ve ever heard, as I could barely make out singer Nick Williams’ lyrics, the bands dreamy, almost ethereal rock sound started the night off perfectly.

Twin Wave

Honey Wild Turned things up a notch, as the trios more garage-based style rock still captured that crisp Fender sound that basically makes up the Brooklyn rock music scene theses days. Filling up the musical space with strong guitar leads and an array of tempos, the band’s energy was pretty impressive for being small in number.

Honey Wild

Yarn dude!

Surf Rock Is Dead, another band on the bill that also fits the mold of the kind of ethereal, indie surf-rock that’s taking over Brooklyn these days also mixes some 80s pop-rock into the core of their sound, and do it really well. With the core of their guitar sound coming from chorus shifter stomp box effects, they created simple yet catchy vibe in songs on the set list like “Equinox” and “Late Risers.”

Surf Rock Is Dead

Headliners for the night in Ski Lodge, successfully mix new current indie-rock styles with throwback 80s synth and keyboard influences. You hear more than 80s pop in their songs, as songs like “Boy” captured 50s surf guitar pioneers like Dick Dale, and “Looking For A Change” that alternative 90s Polaris-themed guitar riff sound. Their performance was as entrancing as their music, as the rising local indie-pop group closed things out strong.