Concert Review: The Districts Bash Through Bowery Ballroom
Let’s be honest; in this world rage and adrenaline are making comebacks. Not that they ever left? In fact. rage and the energy its ignites in a person are common to the human experience, but how you release that feeling is what differentiates people. For me, I would use The Districts any day to push out frustration from my heart and mind. Their Bowery Ballroom performance confirmed that music is healing because it is also enlivening.
I did not know what to expect when I saw The Districts. Yet, as they played, a late show, I felt like I could walk around NYC, at midnight, with a badass, leather jacket and face-off with all haters. Their music, especially live, is like being injected with power, and lead singer Rob Grote has no problem empowering you until you feel combustible. The crowd started to quake in head-bangs and “F-Yeahs!” and as every lyrics from tracks like “If Before I Wake”, “Why Would I Wanna Be”, “Chlorine”, and “Funeral Beds” were like air-borne spears made to pierce through crowd anxieties and dreads to finally be let go. I, often, wonder if acknowledgment of stress is enough to let it go, but The Districts show you need a wailing guitar to amp up the release. These guys hold their guitars like they are jack-hammers smashing through mental blocks. When they riff-off, they become zombies to their chords: flailing around looking for the flesh of their sound. It is invigorating to watch because we all wish we could just tussle around a stage or space to music, and screw off all the mental bolts that keep nailing us down to self-doubt. Thus, as they bashed around the stage, we did so in the audience. Hence, Grote became youthful angst leader. He approaches the microphones like it is a lone-wolf he has to either fight or tame. He stretches his body as much as he does his voice to make sure this “mic-wolf” captures the snowy distance he feels between himself and the world.
The Districts – Ordinary Day
From “Bold” to “Salt”, The Districts were all about making the crowd grow wild, and Grote’s vocals succeeded by being a chopped force. He sings lyrics like they are waves crashing, which makes the darkness of their songs feels enlightening. As you swim through the rough tides, his voice shows you can push through, and ignited a few body surfs in approval. I have said it before, especially for punk or grunge-rock, when the people start body-surfing or mosh-pitting, it means you, the artist, are doing your musical job. For More Information On The Districts Click Here.
