NOTE: All photos are copyright of Dean Keim 2025
As they embraced their growing legions of rabid fans and their increasing level of fame amassed over the last decade, rocking people’s worlds, the local rising star indie rock band called Pom Pom Squad returned home to play the finale of their Mirror Ball Tour at The Music Hall of Williamsburg. Lead singer Mia Berrin addressed their amazing climb up the ladder of success in the music industry as she recognized that they had played many small shitty venues in Brooklyn back in the day. But they played their very first opening gig on a big tour right here at Music Hall of Williamsburg several years ago and are now back at the scene of the crime with nothing less than a sold out hometown gig in their old stomping grounds. I first caught them playing as part of a big group show at the tiny Brooklyn club called Trans-Pecos back in 2019 and I was immediately stunned by what I witnessed. This is a band that blows away any kind of expectation you may have of what they would be, sound like, or look like, and they continue to surprise me to this very day. Berrin herself is a wealth of surprisingly diverse ingredients, as she is of African-American, Puerto Rican, and Jewish descent, identifies as queer, and is also an outspoken advocate of the LGBTQ community. Yet, Pom Pom Squad are far more of a straight forward rock than you’d expect, and Mia speaks of emotions and sentiments that are easily relatable even to a straight white guy like me. The sound of her band is surprisingly familiar, with some straight-up 90’s grunge rock sounds à la Hole or Breeders, some Riot Grrrl howls in the style of Bikini Kill, a bit of Kathlene Hannah’s second pop-dance band Le Tigre thrown in, and even some elements some more recent female-driven rock and pop sounds like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Chappell Roan. They even toured in support of some big indie heavy weights like Nada Surf, Bully, Poppy, Soccer Mommy, Pvris, and Bartees Strange. Their first album, Death of a Cheerleader, back in 2021 was a knockout achievement but their new disc Mirror Starts Moving Without Me is an astonishingly deep and introspective work that continues to reveal new layers of meaning every time I listen to it.
Caroline Kingsbury opened the show with a wildly energetic and engaging performance. Originally from Melbourne, Florida, she is also a serious supporter of the queer lifestyle but her sound and her presence transcends place, time, and sexual orientation. She cakes on some serious New Wave era makeup and dresses in bright boot-and-blazer get-ups that look like Stevie Nicks covered in a Monster Energy Drink, and yet her performance lands somewhere between The Killers boisterous rock and a seriously silly Chappell Roan yet sometimes classic Kate Bush vibes. Her powerful songs are explosively propelled by her sole backing, a stunningly impressive drummer who flips her hair around as she pounds those drums into dust. Caroline really takes over a stage though, as she howls, plays her guitar, then jovially dances around doing some impressive high kicks with those big boots of hers. At one point, she literally wrapped herself in a rainbow flag while preaching the gospel of equality. She had a funny little phone routine for her song “Take My Phone Away,” but her last song “Kissing Someone Else” might very well be my new go-to jam. Mia later in her set related how important it is to be touring with a fellow queer artist in these scary times for members of that community and how they need to stick together for safety and sanity.
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As Pom Pom Squad took the stage, Mia Berrin came out shinning like a dreamy rock n’ roll angel, covered in rhinestones and glitter with her giant white combat boots and hair flowing in the wind. She commenced by casting a spell over the packed crowd of proud and loud fans. Her band still includes her partner and kick-ass drummer Shelby Keller, as well as the always impressive guitarist Alex Mercuri. Both have been with her since her early days as a rocker. Lauren Marquez, on bass and keys, joined their merry band of rockers a couple years back. Together they kicked out an impressive setlist with new songs like the insanely catchy “Street Fighter,” or the pop-drenched dread of “Downhill,” and the heart-piercing torch song “Montauk.” There was also much of their first LP like “Red With Love” and “Head Cheerleader.” They are known for doing some damned awesome covers as well and they did not disappoint on this night with their well-known Joan Jett-inspired cover of “Crimson & Clover”. One of the biggest surprises of the night for me was a totally killer rendition of Metric’s “Black Sheep”, popularized as playing a pivotal role in one of my favorite movies of all time Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Mia clearly has an amazing musical palate, saying “My mom raised me on New Wave, Sade, and Prince, and my dad introduced me to hip-hop”, Her mother even came out mid-set to deliver a pair of pom poms to her daughter and impart some wisdom to the crowd “If they ain’t payin’ your bills, pay them bitches no mind!” This is a inspiring and impressive rock band that has the real potential to make it big in the music biz and I look forward to what they have coming next!
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