Concert Review: Boy Azooga Grow Young At Rough Trade

In America, the minute you turn 18 is really when the umbilical chord is cut. You can go from “Mommy and Daddy’s unconditional love” to “Get A Job!” or “Your generation is so needy!” Yet, the mind and heart’s transition from dependency to self-sufficiency can take years, and, in truth, can never take. At Rough Trade, Boy Azooga showed how, for many of us, relationships and lifestyle choices simply replace and distract us from whether we can be dependent on ourselves.  

Boy Azooga have a brash, bracing dynamic that makes them turn a concert into a “night with the boys.” They simply feel like the guys you used to make pranks or sneak out  to parties with. Their harmless, friendly mischievousness made the crowd eat at the palm of their hands; with lead singer Davey Newington becoming your quintessential buddy that teeters between wisdom and wise guy. He is the friend in all our lives that encourages us to be better and also give some trouble. From fashion to finesse, Boy Azooga smashed together a level of sophistication and slacker jams that attracted the “casual cool” who wonder whether we can grow young rather than “grow old.” (HOW BORING!)

I have always hated that term, “growing older.” It just sounds so depressing, and, when you are a twenty-something with 20 millions dreams and no idea how to accomplish them, “older” feels like you are throwing a stop-watch at your life. Hence, tracks like, “Taxi To You,” “Loner Boogie,” and “Jerry” sang/ spoke to a crowd that wished they could bum-rush into their dreams and snap their fingers, like Thanos, to fix all their issues. Patience truly is a virtue, and Boy Azooga arrange their melodies and hooks for the impatient. 

There is an odd drawl to their rhythms that relies on a heavy, but fast baseline to affirm how much we wish life could happen all in one day, but how much we know it takes a lifetime to build our story. From “Face Behind Her Cigarette” to “Walking Thompson’s Park” groove and surfing jazz coddled Davey’s smooth, tenor vocals. He sounds simultaneously wistful and chipper while surfing through spears of higher and even sillier thoughts. With him as lead, Boy Azooga emanates how hopeful and lovelorn we can be as we “grow young.” For More Information On Boy Azooga Click Here.