Emily Danger rocks Mercury Lounge into orbit.

It’s time to add another name to the list of influential women in music: Emily Danger. Sunday night’s showcase featured the Brooklyn band in a 60 minute set that slinked across the venue like a devious serpent. Emily’s diamond vocals cut through the crowd with glorious abandon as Ricky Watts on drums kept a rhythm that literally had the place thumping.

Highlights of the show included a momentary break when Emily addressed the crowd and congratulated St. Vincent on their Grammy win, eloquently commenting; “It’s nice to see a woman get recognized for something other than showing her tits.” The lead songstress wasn’t pandering to the crowd with the statement; she walks the walk. Emily doesn’t need flashy costumes. She’s just a songbird freed from her cage giving the crowd a chance to be enveloped by the music. She wants her listeners to really hear her message woven within the lyrics of the songs and doesn’t need to dress it up with sequins and fishnets. The crowd dancing in a trancing circle was held in the palm of her hand as the group pushed their audience to the listening limit. That’s what this band is all about: they are real musicians, real artists and they are really good.

Another notable highlight was the group’s closing number, their soon-to-be released single, “War Torn.” The gradual building of melody lines crescendoed into an explosion of heart-wrenching musical ecstasy. It was phenomenal. Cameron Orr on violin, perhaps possessed by the spirit of Jimi Hendrix, turned his stringed instrument into a full-blown axe thoroughly grinding the song into dust. Not something you typically see gracing the stage of a NYC venue.

Emily Danger is a total mind & body experience: from the beautifully projected art behind them to the cleverly intricate songs that are saying something important, something true, to the genuine quality of everyone in the group. Seeing this band live leaves you with a feeling that you were just part of something that doesn’t come along every day. And we could really use more of that in this city.

Article by: Hannah Soule