JEREMY LOOPS BLASTS BROOKLYN BOWL

Friday night was the first time I stepped foot into Brooklyn Bowl for, what I didn’t know at the time, was going to be the highlight of my week. I walked in early, the disco ball spinning on the empty hardwood floor of the concert space and the sounds of balls hitting pins in the background, muffled by the soul music playing through the loud speakers of the venue. It was the calm before the storm that was going to be the epic takeover of Jeremy Loops for his last concert of his US tour.

Jeremy Loops

Boston native singer-songwriter Sam James opened the show with a quiet yet powerful set. Though the bowling was a bit distracting throughout, that didn’t stop him from singing in the most beautiful voice that had me, and the rest of the audience, entranced. His cover of “My Girl” was fun and his cover of “Everybody Hurts” gave me all the feels.

Sam James

James was followed by the 7-piece, hippie jam-band that is Sunflower and the Seeds. The girl next to me at the show turned to me and said, “Now I never have to try acid, because I think this is exactly what it’s like,” motioning to the stage. It was a very accurate description of Sunflower and the Seeds’ performance. The guitarist on stage right stole the show for me with his violent hair flips and kicks. They ended their set with a cover of “Maybe I’m Amazed,” and the stage turned into a dance party.

Sunflower & The Seeds

After making the crowd eagerly await his entrance, Jeremy Loops ran out on stage playing the heck out of his harmonica and fist bumping everyone in the crowd that he could reach (including me!). Loops uses a loop pedal throughout his entire set, playing multiple instruments, singing different parts, and having others contribute as well to create a layering of beats in his songs. He even used a kids’ sound toy a couple times to add some crazy effects.

Jeremy Loops

Loops played songs off his upcoming album, Trading Change, set to come out on August 14 of this year. “Mission To The Sun (Howling),” involved an epic battle between the sax player and Loops’ trumpet sounds he was creating with his voice. “Sinner,” was a harmonica heavy dance tune that got everyone’s head bobbing. “Running Away,” was the anti-love song that every album needs. Loops ended his set with his original song, “Only The Good Die Young,” one that he said he’s never recorded and you can only experience it if you come to see his show; pretty special.

Jeremy Loops

Loops came out for an encore with “Skinny Blues,” and “See, I Wrote It For You.” After just a few verses I caught on to “See, I Wrote It For You” and was singing and flailing my arms with the rest of the crowd. All in all, it was a great first Loops experience for me and I hope to catch another show of his when he comes back to the states. And to that couple next to me that I made friends with: you guys are the cutest, thanks for sharing the Loops love!