Diandra Reviews It All

When your brothers are superstars, it can, actually, be a rougher path for you as an artist. Dan Schultz is not only 12 to14 years younger than his older brothers, but they are, currently, heading one of the most successful bands, Cage The Elephant. Yet, I state these facts because Dan Schultz has to go ten times harder than others to prove that he deserves to be in the front-lines, and in his The Studio at Webster Hall performance, as Dan Luke and The Raid, he did.

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If you did not know Webster Hall, as we know it, is going to close. Bought out and heading into years of renovation, NYC staples like The Studio At Webster Hall are going to change, and its final shows are wafting with extra nostalgia and adrenaline. I point this out because as I went into the seedy basement of The Studio, and happily smiled my way through this “blissful sauna”, I felt the energy of the room say, “Shut up, about your issues, and have a good time!”. When a crowd is preemptively invested into the night, especially one they will never replicate again, you have a sincere opportunity to rock their world, and Dan Luke And The Raid did not disappoint. The embodies why this location has been such a relished hovel for rising talent. In its small stage, they played through tracks like “Brazil”, “Fool”, “Golden Age” , and “Black Heavy Cat”. Each showed Dan’s voice as fumed and murky, which made him sound like man that has been through way more than a 21 year old. Lyrically, each felt like guitar driven reminder of every moment when life hit you in the head to say, “Really, idiot! You really thought that was going to go well!”. Of course, “that” can range in bad situations and degrees, but for a band called Dan Luke And The Raid they seem very chill to have gone through so many “thats”. Schultz emanates a presences of intelligence and wryness with how he approaches the crowd; like a kid who knows he is clearly going to lead the school project. Yes, this is a humorous comparison, but I say this because he was opening for Declan Mckenna, whose own rise as pop innovation/ insanity attracted a crowd ready to get wild. Yet, Dan Luke And The Raid felt like the cool calm before a storm.

Admittedly, when I hear the name The Raid, I am expecting a batch of dynamite on the stage. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised to find a band that is not about shaking or shocking you more than life does in general. Instead, they use quirks and youthful wisdom to write songs and connect with crowd like they are one of us. Of course, they are, but when you see artists you are divided between wanting to see one that feels above you like Beyonce or one that is like you such as, Adele. Dan Luke And The Raid feel like a pack of witty intellectuals who met for a round of drinks, and ended up giving a stellar performance, instead. The dynamic has me incredibly confident that in a few years even I will struggle to get the “hot ticket” to see Dan Luke And The Raid Click Here.