By Aaron Calvin, Assistant Entertainment Editor
"New York City Hotel Blues" is the first single off of the new Margot & The Nuclear So & So's album. As a song, it reflects the overall change the band has experienced in creating their new album, "Buzzard," from orchestrated, pop oriented music to biting, distorted and unsettling rock. Walking down Delancey Street Sunday night, it seemed that the city stood to reinforce this mood as the sky's overcast gray faded into cold winds and darkness.
The Bowery is a unique venue, seemingly classic without feeling tired. The mirrored walls and full service bar serves as the anteroom for the main ballroom, an area for casual and committed fans alike, providing ample standing room, a balcony full of seating, and a spacious stage. Despite the impending workday, the room filled up quickly and the show began with little delay.
The opening band, Cameron McGill & What Army took the stage at promptly 8:00. McGill serves as keyboardist for the headliner, but takes the opportunity to act as creepy sort of ringleader for What Army, sporting a sound that is blandly similar to Margot's. However, they do their job well, playing an energetic set that warmed up the crowd effectively.
The second band, The Lonely Forest, was in many ways the black sheep of the set. They hail from Anacortes, a small island town in the Pacific Northwest, while the other two bands hail from Chicago. Their sound is much more straightforward than their tour mates, their songs made of deceptively simple lyrics and hooks. By the end of their set though, they had converted many wary fans with their infectious energy and unpretentious stage presence. They even elicited a few cries of "encore," a rare feat for an opening band.
Finally, Margot & The Nuclear So & So's took the stage. The band's appearance matched their new sound, from their unshaven faces to the duct tape that held the strap on vocalist/songwriter Richard Edwards' acoustic guitar. Without introduction or banter, they blazed through several tracks off their newest album, and, though no one seemed to know the songs exceptionally well, no one really seemed to care. Margot's new sound may be grittier than fans are used to, but their songs are played with electrifying precision.
After touting a few new songs, the band began to play through some old fan favorites. On the songs "Skeleton Key" and "Talking in Code," both from Margot's debut, Edwards hardly had to sing at all, stepping back from the microphone and letting the crowd take over his job. The band also has a sense of humor, exchanging laughs with each other and the audience, pouring whisky into the guitarist's mouth while clapping along while Edwards' plays solo on "As Tall As Cliffs."
At several points in the show, Edwards posited that New York City was the band's favorite city to play. It certainly felt like it, as concert goers emerged from The Bowery exhausted and elated.
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's played at the Bowery Sunday night. (Photo Courtesy of Aaron Calvin)