Grouplove rocked out the Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday night in support of their newly released album Spreading Rumours. They were supported by Australian rockers The Rubens who just recently released their debut album here in America.
The Rubens delighted with a steady set of rock that had a smokey room soul aspect to it that leaned somewhere in between Cold War Kids and Young The Giant. It was my first real exposure to them and I was delighted and sold right of the bat. Check out their song “Lay It Down”, the first single that started it all for them.
Grouplove came out with a bang, hitting their stride without looking back. I caught them at Bonnaroo last year, but only caught a bit of that set and was quite a ways away in a deep crowd. This was a more intimate setting, and it made all the difference. I have been following the band since they were known as Group, so it still amazes me how big they’ve become. But it shouldn’t, they just know how to write really catchy pop-rock that is accessible and feel-good. The crowd was singing every word back with ease, even acting as though they had the band’s new album for months already.
Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull joined the band for a performance of the their record store day collaboration single “Make It To Me.” That along with electric performances of “Tounge Tied”, “Colours” and “Itchin’ On A Photograph” put the crowd in quite a happy place.
I think it’s safe to say that performances at venues such as Bowery Ballroom are probably going to be no more for Grouplove, who are going to tackle much bigger venues in the future. Their sound is just too grand to be contained.
Check out photos of both Grouplove and The Rubens below.
Grouplove:
The Rubens:
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