Concert Review: Louis Cole Revives At Bowery Ballroom
Standing between a young man experiencing his first concert ever and a Louis Cole super-fan holding up a just-bought VINYL like a poster, the energy around Bowery Ballroom was surreal, which seems perfect for LC. While some bands sing to compassion and others sing to sadness, Louis Cole sings to madness and has an amazing band to back him in insanity. Thus, I walked away from his show knowing very well that I would never see anything like it again.
I knew I was in for something totally different when Death walked out, and started a beat with her scythe….. Yeah. Immediately, Louis Cole sets a “WTF” dynamic that makes you say, “That’s Louis!” when he shoots a nerf gun at his drums or stops the show to recite a moody poem. The dynamic was whimsical, and to “outsiders” of the Louis Cole cult, it would seem absolutely deranged. Yet, to his fans, it was delightful. Not many personalities can say, “Shut the F**k Up and bow” to a crowd of people, and have them respond with cheers and giggles. (Trust Me! I have tried!) Yet, the keyword from that last phrase is not “F**k” as much as “personalities.”
In the many things that make an artists memorable, personality has to be, at least, top 3, and Louis Cole has a magnetically cool one, which makes sense. One of his biggest hits, “When You’re Ugly” literally promotes being cool as a person when your looks can’t back you as one. Other of his relatable tracks were called “Bank Account / Thinking about some S**t” and “Things.” Honestly, I would not be surprised if I looked up his birth certificate and it said his birth city was either Gotham or Broad City. He belongs in a more colorful, vivacious world filled with characters that stand up and stand out for the crowd.
Sonically, Louis Cole’s concert REVIVES! I felt like a human plug that had been connected to life’s electricity. Anyone walking into that show would have thought they entered Willy Wonka’s Twerk Factory; filled with candy rhythms and booty shakes. Yet, that rich, wild dynamic would be nothing without his amazing band, and their capacity to switch up the vibe of a song as much as its arrangements. It is as if Louis Cole understands that music is not about sound as much as soul, and what is a spirit if not its many moods and behavioral choices. Thus, Louis Cole and Co. sounded like the Philharmonic Orchestra had travelled to Disney through an acid trip, and you were elated that they made it safe and sound to such a fun world. For More Information on Louis Cole Click Here.
