by audrey.
the captain & i had never been to the knitting factory (74 leonard street, NYC) before. one of our favorite local bands, brooklyn’s night kills the day was opening for fair to midland on sunday the 17th, so of course we had to be there. little did we know that by the end of the night we’d be (literally) locked inside the venue bullshitting at the downstairs bar with a small group of quite obviously interesting characters that included a friend of ours who just happened to be in attendance – and also the lead singer of our other favorite brooklyn band.. but that’s another story. ;D
there was a good crowd packed into the black box that makes up what seemed to be the factory’s main stage. we were second from the edge of the stage, and ghost front was up first – a brooklyn duo comprised of drums and guitar with vocals. i dug their sound, especially since they were only two guys with two instruments and voice – i liked their lyrics (somehow “i don’t know what’s going on” set to upbeat music seems so lighthearted and honest..), the beat of their songs, the tempo changes and contrasts of loud and soft, and of course that the lead singer’s voice kind of reminded me of police-era sting at some points (!!!). in any case, i was definitely swaying the whole time, and grinning especially when i caught a smile exchanged between the two musicians onstage, which always gets me to thinking – why isn’t the rest of the crowd moving?
i know, i know – you’re tired of standing up and you’re impatiently waiting to see YOUR band, but really – how can you be watching human beings playing music right in front of you and NOT be moving? i was watching the crowd and there were more than just a few people staring up at ghost front like they were blankly watching a TV screen. how can you call yourself a music fan if you don’t MOVE to the music, or want to experience new kinds of music from a band you’ve never heard before? i don’t know.. at least for me, it comes down to realizing that, aside from buying YOUR ticket and waiting for YOUR band, there are other people – actual living, breathing, feeling people – who have come to play their music for you. they’re getting up there in front of complete strangers and showing you their work – how would you feel if you were up there and you were playing in front of a crowd of crossed arms or blank stares, people standing completely motionless while you play? they’re humans, not a TV show. this situation can obviously be altered by many factors, ie. if the band is blatantly rude to the audience, or is absolutely terrible and seem like they really don’t care about what they’re doing, but really, in general.. look alive, people. you’re at a rock show!
but i digress. (i’ve always wanted to say that..)
night kills the day took the stage next! you can tell instantly from the music and even, perhaps, from the band’s wardrobe and vibe, that they can fall in with a darker crowd, but although i’ve read of NKD’s name linked with the cure, depeche mode, joy division, etc., whom they openly cite as influences, you cannot just compare one band to another that sounds similar and think you know everything the music is about. it’s way too easy to just listen to a song once or judge a band based on their appearances and write them off as just another doom-and-gloom moody rock band. seriously. night kills the day is so much more.
look behind what you think you see and in the lyrics alone you can find honest representations of life we can all see some aspects of ourselves in. “we only want to feel good, we only want it all the time, we don’t want to feel, we don’t want to feel all the time.” a line like this from “rainbows in NYC” speaks volumes in its apparent simplicity. it made me remember that sometimes the most telling artifacts of the human experience are those that are simply or honestly put, and NKD’s first album, “the study of man… and the developed shadow,” released last year on score records, is filled with these types of reflections. one of my favorite things about NKD is how what they’ve been through comes through in the music, and although the subject matter isn’t always the lightest, it’s never monotonous, and it’s always real. you can pump your fist to “dive!” and “meaning,” dance to “rainbows in new york city,” look inward with “afterhours” or “all the music in the world,” and remember how it feels to be dangerously driven on “enjoy the ride.” luke sings of lust and vice and loss but also of feeling a connection, wanting more, searching for meaning – they’ve got intense personal histories, and a raw, honest dedication to their craft that always comes through beautifully.
last year guitarist izzy lugo left the band, leaving anthony stella (who is affectionately called “STELLAAAA!!!”, very much in “streetcar named desire” fashion, i suppose..) to take up guitar duties and collaborate with the rest of the band on their newest efforts. at the knitting factory, night kills the day opened with “dive!”, which has always seemed to me a fitting anthem for current times, played album favorites like “rainbows in NYC” and of course, “meaning,” but also played three new tracks: “misery,” which had been played at recent shows, and two we had never heard before: “werewolf,” and the particularly standout set-closer “depression queen,” featuring a line as carnal as it was clever: “she only speaks to god when we’re having sex.” mhm!
if you haven’t realized already, this is a band that my show-hopping counterpart and i feel very, very strongly about. musicianship aside, they really are some of our absolute favorite people. please do check them out – while i (try to) catch up on sleep! and speaking of checking things out.. here’s an awesome video the cap made of NKD performing “misery” at the knitting factory that night – the audio isn’t so great, but bear with us ;D that riff is haunting, man.
NIGHT KILLS THE DAY is:
luke brian – vocals
timothy falzone – bass & keys
anthony stella – guitars
roger benton – drums
