Catching a show at Nublu feels like you’re walking into the best kept secret in NYC. Entering a non-descript black building and parting heavy curtains ushers you into one of the most unique performance spaces I’ve been lucky to step foot into. Seeing Paris Monster in a space like this also feels like a bit of a secret at this point, but that secret is slowly bursting out.
Paris Monster
Paris Monster
Having stumbled onto them years ago during CMJ Festival, a week-long frenzy of artists spread across multiple venues in the city, now known as The New Colossus Festival, what I found in Paris Monster was a duo that from first glance I didn’t expect such a dynamic sound from. But with a contraption with a million wires and lights that I’ve since learned is a modular synth controlled via bass helmed by Geoff Kraly, and the triple whammy of Josh Dion on vocals, synths and drums, it was nothing short of a mind blowing experience.
Paris Monster
Paris Monster
Paris Monster
I’ve dug into their previous releases, It Once Had Been Kind, and Lamplight, released in 2013 and 2019 respectively, and while you would think you’ve seen what a duo like this could do before, they have absolutely mastered the art of world building and painting a sonic landscape that engulfs all your senses. Being in the room with people who lined the stage well before the start of the show and truly appreciated the close attention paid to this aspect makes the evening seem to fly by all too quickly. Moving through songs like “Hot Canyon Air,” “Grandma,” “Had Damon Caught His Sloane,” and “The Cause of It All,” it felt like everything that truly mattered was happening in that room at that very moment. There was one instrumental song, whose name I sadly didn’t catch, that was infinitely captivating and allowed Dion and Kraly’s skill to really shine through.
Paris Monster
Paris Monster
Paris Monster
There were a few moments where Dion addressed the audience to talk about a few new songs they have been working on to the delight of the crowd, as well as upcoming tour dates with The Darkness and Public Records with Huntertones, which I’m certain many of the same faces will be in attendance. Those same faces will also be plastered with “stankface” which happens when you hear a particularly funky music moment. No matter the time or place, Paris Monster has no problem delivering.
Paris Monster
Paris Monster
Article/Images: Lesley Keller
