Concert Review: Machineheart Pulse At Gramercy Theatre

Watching machineheart at Gramercy Theatre was like watching the second coming of No Doubt. Not because they sound like this group, but because they combine fashion with the heart’s frustration. Their pop feels like a style; as if you can truly sew your heart into your sleeve.

The No Doubt comparisons might feel “natural” for two reasons; 1) there have not been too many bands that have had a woman fronting a group of men. 2) Lead singer Stevie Scott  feels like glam and grunge have finally agreed to join. She swigs and swags her body as if she is playing with dirt and diamonds, all at once, which matches their songs MO. Tracks like, “Overgrown,” “Do You Love,” and “Had A Dream” felt like pop offerings to the goddess of Love; the heavier the bassline to bigger the offering. 

Sonically, machineheart actually sound like…. a machine heart. They treat their melodies like pulses while Stevie’s voice becomes the reason it beats. Having such a saccharine vocality allows the crowd to really feel when she fries and rasps a note with love’s stressful pangs. Honestly, what makes this Force finally go right? From “Altar” to “Peace of Mind,” this was machineheart’s question, and they asked it over melodies that felt pressed and turned like the nails and bolts of an actual machine. Yet, again, it was Stevie’s voice and presence that prompted their songs to treat romance as mechanical. 

Overall, machineheart made love feel fashionable, frustrating, and ultimately fun. Moreover, their performance and sound displayed the promise of commercial success. Some people fear or perceive “mainstreaming” as selling out, which it can be if you feel you are not marketing your true self. Yet, for machineheart, churning the pitfalls of love into pop hits is real. For More Information On machineheart Click Here.