Concert Review: Porches Dance To Loneliness At Bowery Ballroom
Porches’ Aaron Maine approaches the mic like a man whispering his secrets; even holding his arm around it like a shoulder. He poses his body into different statuesque positions as if his own voice can freeze him into a marbled frame. Thus, at Bowery Ballroom, everyone watched him model for and sing to songs of personal loneliness.
“Ono”, “Underwater”, and “By My Side” had to be my favorite tracks of the night, and were some of Maine’s faves, as well. He has a playful coyness to him; mumbling his words as if speaking is his novelty and singing is his nature. The minute he began to ruminate the vocals notes of the pain and enlightenment love has given him, he became so clear. Even when he forgot a lyric, it seemed so purposeful, and showed that the honeyed, backing vocalist of Seiya Jewell had both her keyboard and his back. For him, love is suffering, but music makes it bonding. Thus, you joined in as he turned Bowery Ballroom’s dance floor into a delectable scene.
Porches – Find Me (Official Video)
I know it is weird to say a performance was “delicious”, but Porches’ songs are made to be consumed. They show why people call songs “jams”; because every rhythm they mashed, from “Find Me” to “Car”, felt berried and sugared. Thus, their sung themes of loneliness and loss felt even more poignant. Here we were, a sold-out crowd, dancing to sentiments that have, often, left us in fetal position. It is a true talent that can transform the most gaping, gutting feelings into the rhythms moving your feet.
Porches – Goodbye (Official Video)
Going to a Porches’ concert feels like you are walking into an LGBT, synth-pop fantasy. The crowd was filled with LGBT youth that looked at Porches’ exploration of sensuality and sentiment as a sonic guide on how to bridge both. How to feel sexy and intrigued towards life when you feel by yourself in it leaves everyone stumped. Yet, Maine’s voice oscillates like a sea angel making wings from water, and proving the strangeness that the same thing that makes tsunamis can also give calming fluidity. In essence, how love can leave us raging and riveted is perplexing, but Porches’ music makes it feel simple, even if for a three-minute track. For More Information on Porches Click Here.
Porches – “Car” (Official Music Video)
