Concert Review: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Hit Bowery Ballroom
I cannot say much about Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s (RBCF) performance, and THAT IS A GREAT THING! Sometimes, the best thing you can be is a guarantee. Playing off their new EP, The French Press, RBCF gave a show that was surprisingly “beachy” in chord and style. Seeing these young, easy-going guys from the UK play soft-punk in New York that sounded from California, built their vast aura of approachability, which my readers know I have elaborated as a key to concert success.
Having a few guys on stage that appear like your friends off of it, makes RBCF a guarantee good show. Each band-member Tom, Fran, Joe W, Joe R, and Marcel laxly approach the stage, and even get their chance at lead vocals, which furthers their sense of a band of brothers. In most concerts, you kind of get the “feel” over who is the lead “energy”/ vocalist of the band. Yet, I was happy and impressed that I did not get that feeling in their Bowery Ballroom concert. RBCF does well to make sure every member of their band shines or is displayed as a thread to their sonic fabric. This capacity could be because the vocals/ lyrical and instrumental compositions are split between Fran Keaney, Tom Russo, and Joe White, who all feel like a range of raspy tones that can muster a different sense of waviness to their music. While RBCF describes themselves soft punk/ tough pop, as I mentioned, their music, in concert, sounded sunnier and beach-ready. In perspective, this makes sense because punk can have very surfy chord arrangements, and pop, for however you toughen it, always has a brightness to it. Still, it was the brightness of their personalities and effortlessness on stage that dominated.
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Julie’s Place
Inbetween “Julie’s Place” and “Dig Up”, the guys would banter about their journey in New York, of which for some, it was their first time in the Big Apple. They were quick to admit their excitement to hail from the UK to the U.S staple city. As they moved around and bantered amongst each other, you almost forgot you were at a concert. You felt as if you were in their living room, watching them practice and dream, which is a special, sweet feeling. Sure, we all love the “untouchability” of artists, but we also appreciate accessibility. There is something to be said about a band’s charm when they can sing a song called “Sick Bug”, which is about feeling like an infectious insect at the sight of your lover, and you cheer afterwards. Fro More Information On Rolling Blackout Coastal Fever Click Here.
