Live Music Reviews and Photographs / NYC, Buffalo, Toronto, Pittsburgh
It's been a bit of a slow concert year for me since, between travel, medical issues, and an increased challenge in obtaining photo passes, I've only made it to thirty-five shows as opposed to over one hundred in 2019! This makes doing a top ten a bit silly so I'll just do five. This doesn't …
During The Beths show at Brooklyn Paramount, someone in the crowd screamed out “We love you!” prompting lead vocalist Elizabeth Stokes to answer coyly, “We’ve only played four songs. That was easy!”. New Zealand’s premiere alternative band swung through NYC on their latest tour in support of their fourth album Straight Line Was A Lie …
Continue reading "The Beths rocked the sold-out crowd at Brooklyn Paramount – Dec 5, 2025"
The revival punk project called The Saints '73-'78 swung through NYC and played the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday with a host of prominent guest stars like Mudhoney’s frontman Mark Arm who provided the vocals. The Saints are a sadly far too overlooked band in punk rock history books but are definitely a band …
“I came from New York and, even though I now live in LA, this will forever be very special to me and Baby’s All Right is the very first venue I ever played,” said Ella Jane at her one-off appearance in her old stomping grounds of Brooklyn. This intimate setting was a change of pace …
Continue reading "Ella Jane’s homecoming at Baby’s All Right – Oct 21, 2025"
The all-female punk pop trio Shonen Knife from Osaka, Japan, who had gained a ferocious following in the mid 90’s with their brand of bodacious bubblegum indie rock, played two sold out nights at the intimate venue called Littlefield in the lowlands Gowanus area of Brooklyn. I was lucky enough to catch the second night’s show which …
Continue reading "Shonen Knife blew the roof off Littlefield – Sept 25, 2025"
Shoegaze sorceress Miki Berenyi will bewitch Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday, October 11th with a mix of classics from her beloved 90’s indie band Lush and critically acclaimed solo material from her recently released Miki Berenyi Trio album called Tripla on the Bella Union label. Berenyi was rock royalty in the 90’s indie rock …
Continue reading "Miki Berenyi Trio to play their last show in NYC at Music Hall of Williamsburg"
Alt-pop priestess BANKS cast a spell over the Brooklyn Paramount on Friday night as she swept through town supporting her newest album Off With Her Head. Jillian Rose Banks has been bewitching audiences since 2013 with her genre-bending blends of enchanting sounds that always seem to flirt with the darker arts of goth and industrial …
Continue reading "BANKS cast a spell over the Brooklyn Paramount – June 20, 2025"
The Philly punk band Mannequin Pussy played an intimate late night show at a sold out Warsaw in Greenpoint, Brooklyn for an event called Gov Ball After Dark, an after-hours shindig that took place the day after they performed on the big stage at the Governor’s Ball Festival in Flushing Meadows, Queens. This band has …
Continue reading "Mannequin Pussy threw a late night party at Warsaw – June 7, 2025"
The classic indie pop band The Wedding Present played The Music Hall of Williamsburg in celebration of the 35th anniversary of their second album Bizarro from 1989 (which they played in its entirety). I was lucky enough to catch them the last time they came through town in 2017 and played the Bell House, promoting …
Continue reading "The Wedding Present went Bizarro at Music Hall of Williamsburg – May 23, 2025"
NYC alt-rockers Sunflower Bean returned to their Brooklyn home ground for a big headlining show at Warsaw in Greenpoint, Brooklyn to celebrate their new album Mortal Primetime which they self-produced featuring mixing by Caesar Edmunds of The Killers & Wet Leg fame. The trio has been a staple of the Big Apple DIY scene for …
Continue reading "Sunflower Bean had an epic homecoming at Warsaw – May 22, 2025"
In listening and watching LA-based R&B/rap artist Audrey Nuna's (aka Audrey Chu) music & video, it feels like she's ready to explode all over the music industry. She somehow appeals to R&B and pop fans alike and, with an EP and two studio albums under her belt, she is still young and evolving as an …
Continue reading "Phenom Audrey Nuna packs Music Hall of Williamsburg – May 13, 2025"
Alternative rock icon Kim Deal brought her very first solo tour to Brooklyn’s gloriously beautiful Brooklyn Paramount to support Nobody Loves You More, the first solo album of her lengthy and illustrious career which has become my most adored and heavily-played album of the year so far. I grew up outside of Dayton, Ohio and, …
Continue reading "Kim Deal gets reborn at the Brooklyn Paramount – Mar 13, 2025"
The electronica duo Phantogram brought their Running Through Colors tour back to their old stomping ground of Brooklyn with an epic performance at the newly renovated Brooklyn Paramount. This stunning venue that’s history takes you way back to the Roaring 20’s and played such a major role in the Jazz and R&B scenes all the …
Continue reading "Phantogram enchanted their hometown fans at Brooklyn Paramount – Feb 6, 2025"
Fast rising Irish dream pop band NewDad have only been around for six years but it's been a hectic ride. I say dream pop but you can say shoe gaze, lo-fi, or even grunge and you wouldn't necessarily be wrong. After forming and releasing several singles in 2020, the pandemic halted things for a bit …
Continue reading "NewDad wraps up first North American tour in NYC – Nov 7, 2024"
It’s been less than a month since Berlin-based singer/songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou released fifth studio album “Shelter” and she stopped in Brooklyn for the final stop of her 2023 US tour before heading up to the Newport Folk Festival. Since there were only seven US stops on the tour and two of them were in …
Continue reading "Alice Phoebe Lou wraps up US leg of solo tour at Brooklyn Steel – July 26, 2023"
Canadian singer/songwriter Luna Li (aka Hannah Bussiere Kim) played a one-off show at the Elsewhere Rooftop in Bushwick, NY on Monday, July 24th. After last year's tour, we hadn't expected her to grace us with her presence so soon but were happy to see this hit our schedule. The show was quickly sold out and, …
Continue reading "Luna Li enchants Brooklyn at Elsewhere Rooftop – July 24, 2o23"
It's been quite a year for Just One More Concert. It was the first full year of live music post-pandemic although much has changed since 2019 (the last full year). Bands are still having to cancel shows/tours because someone in the band or crew tests positive for Covid, more acts have opted for having their …
If you haven’t heard of the Linda Linda’s, you may be living under a rock. They exploded onto the scene, not necessarily the music scene, when they released a song and video for “Racist, Sexist Boy” after a schoolmate made a racist remark to the band’s drummer early in the Covid pandemic. That song became …
Continue reading "The Linda Linda’s rock Music Hall of Williamsburg – Oct 2, 2022"
There are cover bands and there are good cover bands. Wednesday saw Zoso, the Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience, come to Brooklyn Bowl in NYC and evoke strong memories of the golden age of 70s rock and roll. Having been formed over twenty years ago, the band has honed its craft and is one of the …
Continue reading "Zoso and the shades of Led Zeppelin invade Brooklyn Bowl – Sept 28, 2022"
When I first heard about the most recent Oh Wonder album "22 Break" and how Anthony Vander West and Josephine Vander Gucht (now Vander West) had been in the midst of possibly breaking up while writing the record, I was completely devastated! I had met them at their Paste Studio session in 2019 and they …
Continue reading "Oh Wonder celebrates life at Brooklyn Steel – May 15, 2022"
NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography except for setlist photo thanks to Gabrielle Pires I have to admit that for much of the late 1990s / early 2000s, I was working so much that I didn't pay too much attention to music that was coming out during that time. It wasn't until …
Continue reading "Spending the day with Silversun Pickups – Mar 6, 2020"
Friday night was a good night for me to catch up with a couple of local bands that I've been following for awhile: Purr and Wilsen. Also turns out they both had record releases that day. Purr did a signing for their debut record "Like New". Oddly enough, even though I've been seeing them at …
Swedish pop star Tove Lo (aka Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson), known not just for her danceable tunes and high energy live shows but also for her sexually direct lyrics and for flashing the crowd, hit NYC for two shows as part of her Sunshine Kitty Tour. Having celebrated her record release back in September at …
Continue reading "Tove Lo throws party at Brooklyn Steel – Feb 12, 2020"
Having only recently discovered Your Smith, I was not ready for the amazing evening that awaited me at Rough Trade in Brooklyn on a cold Wednesday night. Caroline Smith had been playing music since she was a teenager in her native Minnesota and after performing under her name for years, she moved to LA in …
Continue reading "Your Smith rules Rough Trade – Jan 29, 2020"
What do you do when your high school rock band's members go to different colleges, making it difficult to continue to collaborate? Keep things simple with just two members and write some pop songs! That's exactly what Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin of Magdalena Bay did when they got back together one winter break. Named …
Continue reading "Magdalena Bay electrifies Elsewhere Zone One – Jan 15, 2020"
Starting off part two of my top shows of 2019 with three shows at Madison Square Garden. As I noted in my previous post, it's been an epic year. The Who at Madison Square Garden - September 1, 2019 The Who (Madison Square Garden) - 1 September 2019 When a legendary band from your childhood …
This year was pretty epic for me as a music photojournalist. In addition to this blog, I also shot for Pancakes & Whiskey and QRO Magazine. I attended 83 shows in total although it seemed like so many more. The shows are in date order since it would be impossible for me to rank them …
The annual Pandora holiday show is one of the most anticipated of the season. Previous performers of this huge free event have included Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, the 1975, Bastille, Post Malone and SZA. This year, the show moved from its previous location at Pier 36 to Avant Gardner in Brooklyn and …
Continue reading "Pandora presents Halsey at Avant Gardner – Dec 10, 2019"
As the holiday season approached, there were quite a number of Christmas themed shows in and around the city. One of the more anticipated was by the duo She & Him, comprised of actor/singer Zooey Deschanel and guitarist M. Ward (Matthew Stephen Ward). A holiday shows seems apropos since 40% of their total records sales …
Continue reading "She & Him bring the joy of Christmas to Kings Theatre – Dec 6, 2019"
If you miss the old days of don't give a fuck punk, you have to go to a Starcrawler show. But buyer beware...if you're near the stage, there is plenty of "band/crowd interaction". You might get water poured on you, a band member may blow their nose over you, your glasses or hat may get …
Continue reading "Starcrawler started Halloween early at Music Hall of Williamsburg – Oct 25, 2019"
How do you follow up a smash debut album and tour with Harry Styles? Is it sitting at home wondering how you can top it and feeling like a poser? Maybe, but synth-pop band MUNA has come back with a mature and well-produced sophomore album in "Saves the World", released on September 6th. The first …
Continue reading "MUNA celebrate latest record at MHOW – Oct 11, 2019"
When I saw Counterfeit at Knitting Factory last year, I didn't know the history of the band. I had heard their punk/rock debut LP "Together We Are Stronger" and wanted to see this band that had been voted Best Live Act in 2017 at the AIM Independent Music Awards. I had arrived early and discovered …
Continue reading "Counterfeit blows away Knitting Factory – Sept 10, 2019"
I'm not sure whether New York loves Hatchie (aka Harriette Pilbeam) more or vice versa. Last night was her ninth time playing NYC in the last 2 yrs! This time as a headliner, Hatchie is touring in support of her debut LP "Keepsake" and kicked off the US leg of the tour with a stop …
Continue reading "Hatchie kicks off US headlining tour at Rough Trade – Sept 4, 2019"
Friday nights in New York City are meant for partying but, as Alex Lahey says on the first track of her latest LP, "I Don't Get Invited to Parties Anymore". This Melbourne based singer/songwriter has been coming up with witty and very straightforward lyrics since she first entered our collective consciousness with "You Don’t Think …
Continue reading "Alex Lahey is definitely doing it right – Aug 23, 2019"
still in catch up mode If you want to listen to pop that just makes you happy, Spanish band Hinds have the remedy for you. After the release of their sophomore album I Don’t Run, the band has been on a global tour covering Europe, the US and Canada. On the night of May 10, 2018, …
Continue reading "Hinds party it up at Warsaw – May 10, 2018"
(still in catch up mode) You may be familiar with British punk band COUNTERFEIT lead singer and guitarist Jamie Campbell Bower from his acting work on the Twilight trilogy, Mortal Instruments, or Sweeney Todd. I wasn't but found out quickly as I waited on line with his many fans. Don't let that sway you into …
Continue reading "COUNTERFEIT gets down and dirty at Knitting Factory – May 1, 2018"
(Still in catch-up mode) After playing her sold out show at Irving Plaza, K.Flay followed it up with another incredible performance at Warsaw. Opening for her was young Brit, Yungblud (aka Dominic Harrison), who got the crowd energized with his hard hitting hip hop inspired act. Thanks to Loudie NYC for the tickets! NOTE: all photographs …
Continue reading "K Flay slays Warsaw (yeah i know) – Mar 20, 2018"
(Still in catch-up mode) Dr. Martens kicked off their customization tour with food, drinks, swag and a kickin' live set from Charly Bliss. This indie pop/rock band was set to explode as they would tour later in 2018 with Death Cab for Cutie. Baby's All Right could barely contain their infectious energy but that's exactly …
Continue reading "Dr. Martens Customization Tour featuring Charly Bliss – Feb 21, 2018"
You know that feeling when the local band you've been following starts to make it and you're torn because, on the one hand, you want them to succeed and hit it big but, on the other hand, you want to continue to see them in cozy venues? Well, I have that feeling with both these …
Continue reading "Sunflower Bean and Sleigh Bells rock Brooklyn Steel – Feb 13, 2018"
Monday brought another show in the Steve Madden Presents series, this time with Bishop Briggs headlining and Philadelphia transplant Anna Shoemaker opening. It was a cold day in Williamsburg but fans had started lining up around 3pm. When Shoemaker took the stage at 9pm, she couldn't contain her excitement and mentioned that this capacity crowd …
You know how you watch a TV show and the kids in the show seem to grow up so much between one season and the next? Yeah yeah, I know it's definitely been that way since I last posted but that's also exactly how it feels every time I see Sunflower Bean. And it's not …
Since there are huge gaps in this concert blog, we'll try to fill in as opportunity permits. I'm not sure what it is about shoe companies promoting free shows but I'm on board! The band gets free shoes (or boots as the case may be) and the fans get to see a free concert. The …
This was the first Fiona Apple show in NYC in years and came just before she released her new album "The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do". As usual, quite a mouthful. The die-hard fans were out waiting early …
Continue reading "Fiona Apple returns with new record – Mar 23, 2012"