[ATTENDED: October 13, 2021] Gustaf
I had not heard of Gustaf when this show was announced, but when I looked them up, they promised to put on a fun show. And boy did they ever.
Gustaf is a five-piece from Brooklyn: Guitarist Vram Kherlopian, lead singer Lydia Gammill, bassist Tine Hill, vocalist/percussionist Tarra Thiessen and drummer Melissa Lucciola. They are a classic old school art-punk band.
They make weird music and they have a lot of fun. It was a terrific set.
The band was spread out across the stage with guitarist Kherlopian in front of us on the left. It was fun watching him playing and not playing. The kind of guitar work that is sparse and punchy. The other side of the stage had the rhythm section. Lucciola and Hill were the backbone of the band, keeping things grounded while the rest of the band did their weird things. Thiessen might have been having the most fun as she played a Chock Full O Nuts Coffee can for percussion and often had her voice manipulated to sound deep and slow.
But the star of the set was singer Lydia Gammill. She came out in an oversized suit and dark glasses. She spoke/sang and almost antagonized the audience. She stared at us, dared us to get into thei weird music and was generally an engaging personality.
About three songs in, she ripped off the tear-away suit to reveal a cropped top and fascinating leggings. She went from being stiff and formal to loose and wild.
The songs were fairly straightforward and simple (even when they were definitely weird) with lots of spoken and chanted choruses and backing lines. It was the kind of performance where everyone in the band has to know that some (many) people aren’t going to like it–and they more or less defy people to not like it. But they also know that there’s people like me in the audience who will love what they’re doing and will rely on us to help them win over the crowd. Which they ultimately did.
When the set ended they had thought they’d be able to play one more song, but they ran out of time. And I think everyone wanted to hear that last song.
When I went to their merch stand after the show, I waited to buy a copy of their CD (Audio Drag for Ego Slobs), but the lady in front of me got the last one. The band was super friendly and I’m happy they sold out, but I’m still a little bummed to not have gotten one. I see that they are playing a headlining tour in the spring and I just might have to see them again.
SETLIST
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