Concert Review: Phony PPL Get Their Rainbow Aura At Irving Plaza

Phony Ppl have grown before my eyes to embody star quality or what some on TikTok call “Rainbow Aura.” While they always felt special, having seen them from their beginning, there is a difference. Perhaps, it is the loss of doubt. At Irving Plaza, I saw them fearless; carrying a certainty, within them, that said, “We are making it. We are here.”

Every artist has drive. Absolutely every artist, to some extent, needs to be a litter crazier and braver then they are sane and insecure. In some ways, they are the equivalent to a child simply throwing himself in a lake and hoping he can swim. Some, with enough flails, can, particularly, if they understand you drown when you fight being the water. In essence, if you match the energy around you, then you learn how to swim in it. Phony Ppl were always a vibe, but they became stars, at Irving Plaza, because they have turned their essence into a specific product only they can sell.

JESUS! Somebody call a label A&R because I got the secrets on what makes a STAR! I predicted Billie Eilish, SZA, and even Kali Uchis. PEOPLE, LISTEN TO ME! (Lol!) Yet, as I felt the energy of the room and Phony Ppl, everything felt heightened, and it was not because we were Post-Coviding. In essence, I wondered if the very difference between a “new artist” and a “seasoned” one is the loss of doubt. I used to think that the core distinction was how many listeners, but these group of friends made me wonder if it is, in fact, self-belief. They did not feel “new” anymore, even though they will always be fresh.

So back to Tik Tok’s obsession with Rainbow Aura; the latter being the belief that “stars” emanate a certain energy that quantum leaps them into a higher, more powerful status of fame. I felt that with Phony Ppl; as if the star quality they always had finally reached the sky, and now it would only be a matter of time until the moon saw their shine as equal.