THE DELI

Last night was a raucous good time at the Black Cat’s backstage. Kicking off the packed show was one of DC’s finest punk outfits, Priests. Composed entirely of masters of their respective musical outputs, this quartet blasts out a fiery, unapologetic rock set, lined with angst, political diatribe, and some seriously pent-up energy, but still distinctive with their stage presence and use of atmospheric guitar work in the latter half of their act. Of particular note was their drummer’s tireless performance, railing out sick playing without missing a beat, easily swinging multiple times per second. Make sure to catch them live when they return to DC after this tour ends.

Performing after Priests was Montreal-based Ought, a genre-defying fourpiece that pulls some its sensibilities from the likes of The Killers and The Strokes, but still rejects sounding like anyone else for more than a moment. Blending some angst-ridden lyrics, space rock guitar solos and keys, and slick basslines providing a solid backbeat. The frontman really captivated the audience’s attention with occasional and perfectly awkward dance moves and a voice that cuts right in between Julian Casablancas and Bono, delivered in a laconic, deadpan overture. -Jonathan Goodwin

Heavily inspired by a life of vivid dreaming, Brooklyn’s Corbu take the concept of "Dream Pop" to the extreme, expressing through their music their interpreted realities of the ‘sleep-world’ . The band just released single ‘Polygon Forest’ (streaming) off of their soon to be released studio album, ‘Crayon Soul’. The track incorporates tribal beats, several layers of synths and the ethereal, psychedelic leaning vocals of lead singer Jonathan Graves. Intrigued by Corbu’s sound, we asked him to talk about the band’s synths and their set up in this Delicious Audio feature.

We can’t exactly tell what Lake Ruth‘s singer Allison Brice sings about in the band’s new single ‘The Only One Who Knows’ we are premiering below – the lyrics are rather unintelligible. Nonetheless, her vocals carry a quality of wisdom and sweet confidence that makes us picture a young mother – our Platonic mother? – giving us precious advice, with her beautiful, hopeful voice, about that relentless unraveling of mysteries called life. And even though the band’s music, heavily influenced by the psychedelic ’60s, puts this semi-imaginary lady in a historical context our real mother missed, the track’s ‘vintage’ sound and dreamy atmosphere contribute in setting the stage for the most reassuring of dreams: re-living the days when we had somebody on our side who could answer all our questions: ‘The Only One Who Knows’.

Don’t miss Lake Ruth at NYC Popfest on May 22nd at Littlefield. LP Actual Entity’ out on June 24th, 2016 on The Great Pop Supplement.

1.21 Gigawatts – a Brooklyn DIY magazine that did a great job of covering the scene’s punky, garagey and psych emerging bands – is sadly closing and it will be gracing us one final time with their hosting skills come this weekend at Alphaville. With Deli favorites like Dead Stars, Haybaby, Dances, and 11 more taking the stage we can expect a weekend of great music and spectacular shows. On top of getting 14 amazing bands performing in two days, it’s all just $10. Insane, right? It is always with a heavy heart that we must say goodbye, but Gigawatts really knows how to go out with a bang (and how to give you more bang for your buck). So head on over to Alphaville this Saturday and Sunday for some memorable performances. Check out the playlist below to get a feeling of what you’ll be listening. – Adriana Ballester