ICEAGE, APTBS & VANITY THRASH AT ELSEWHERE

When I walked into Elsewhere last week, it was pretty much empty. Just a few really excited fans pressed against the stage, a couple people hanging by the merch booth and the staff preparing for the crowd to come – the calm before the storm. A couple hours later, that same room had become a rumbling mosh pit – hair flinging sweat, hands grabbing air and bodies floating on top of the crowd.

The night started off with less of a mosh pit atmosphere during NYC punk band, Vanity’s set. But as the crowd filled in you could feel the energy start to pick up – an indicator of what was to come later on that night.

Vanity

The lights dimmed and as I stared ahead of me waiting for A Place to Bury Strangers to take the stage, I suddenly heard the crackle of feedback coming from behind. I turned around at the same time that the crowd collectively shifted into a circle surrounding the band. Oliver and Lia were hunched over a mountain of wires and knobs as Dion rose above them, transfixing the crowd from up high. If someone had discovered APTBS after listening to their mid-2018 release, Pinned, they would never be prepared for their live show.

APTBS

While Pinned has all those beautiful noise rock sounds we love from APTBS, it has almost a calming effect while listening to it. Their live performance is anything but calming. Between the strobe lights, guitar smashing, and mosh-pit-inducing music, your entire body will feel like it just got spun around in a centrifuge – but like, in a good way.

APTBS

Danish punk rockers, Iceage wrapped up their US tour that night at Elsewhere after a short stay in Brooklyn. After seeing photos from their show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg a couple nights prior, I knew I would be in for a treat.

Iceage

Most of their set consisted of songs off of their latest album, Beyondless, a punk masterpiece that kept everyone thrashing around all night. Lead vocalist, Elias Bender Rønnenfelt’s ability to captivate an extremely rambunctious crowd was incredible. By the end of their set, Elias had followed the crowd’s lead and lept from the stage into slightly unstable, yet excited, arms. That night was 3 hours of high energy and the comedown was rough but I’d do it all over again.