On Monday night Cloud Nothings finished a sold out NYC run at Bowery Ballroom (They played MHOW on Sunday) in epic fashion, in support of their amazing new record Here And Nowhere Else.
24-year-old folk singer/guitarist Ryley Walker started the evening. He just released his debut album All Kinds Of You yesterday via Tompkins Square Label. Walker is a talented guitarist, watching him fingerpick was a thing of beauty. His songs could be mistaken for being from the 60s/70s folk scenes sounding very authentic and true. He’s a special talent, one you should seek out immediately. An interesting choice opening for a band such as Cloud Nothings, but when you find out Riley used to be involved in Chicago’s noise scene, I guess it makes a bit more sense.
I’m still constantly amazed by how far that Dylan Baldi’s Cloud Nothings have come. In almost no time they progressed and matured as a band at lightning speed, releasing 4 amazing albums as if it was nothing, getting better and better with each one. Their same can be said about their live show, with each time I’ve seen them being an improvement over the last.
Monday night’s showing at Bowery Ballroom was the best yet, and it was also one of the best shows I’ve seen this year. All 8 of the tracks of new album Here And Nowhere Else were played, along with some key cuts off Attack On Memory. The hour-long set was a ferocious display of angst ridden rock & roll that features almost no stops, aside from the early bathroom break from Baldi after only the 2nd song. Drummer Jayson Gerycz is a man-beast behind his drumkit, the backbone of most of the tracks and a critical part of the bands now 3-piece punk sound. Bassist TJ Duke adds pulsating and timely bass grooves that keeps it all in check. Add all three guys together on stage and you get a force to be reckoned with, the type of energy that causes all the kids to start moshing into one another in front of the stage.
“I’m Not Part Of Me”, which may be may favorite song of the year so far, closed the regular set and did so in style. It was played with a intense feeling of importance, that had me (and everyone around me) singing every word back as if I was giving out an own part of myself. It’s an intense anthem worthy of all kinds of praise, and it was only right that the mega “Wasted Days” closed things out as the only encore track.
Cloud Nothings have established themselves as one hell of a live force and a band that everyone should be paying attention to. They’re not going anywhere but up. It was a can’t miss show, and if you missed out, don’t let it happen the next time they’re in town. You’ll be sorry you did.
Check out some photos of both Cloud Nothings/Ryley Walker below, along with Cloud Nothings’ setlist:
Setlist:
1. Quieter Today
2. Now Hear In
3. Stay Useless
4. Psychic Trauma
5. Giving Into Seeing
6. Fall In
7. Separation
8. Pattern Walks
9. No Thoughts
10. Cut You
11. Just See Fear
12. I’m Not A Part Of Me
Encore:
13. Wasted Days
Cloud Nothings:
Ryley Walker:
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