2:54 + Widowspeak @ Mercury Lounge, 6/11/12

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Widowspeak and 2:54 make for some of the better new shoegaze acts currently out. Catching both of them in one venue made for quite a bargain; their music pairs quite well together.

Besides our co-headliners, we had two additional openers to pad out the night, Indian Rebound and The Denzels, giving us more of a friends and family type atmosphere for the early half. Indian Rebound is an affable group of teenagers who makes a sort of garage/surf rock type sound. They were quite rough around the edges, seemingly fresh from practice, and winged it at points, but the overall product’s quite solid. I oft enjoy the anonymous openers at Mercury Lounge, some are really diamonds in the rough.

The Denzels, a quintet of Brooklyn Bro jam rockers, were up second and an act I really enjoyed. They showed a night and day difference with a polished, energetic sound that promises of future renown. Their Easy Tiger EP is free on bandcamp for a listen.

Once Widowspeak took the stage, attendance surged, definitely giving me an impression of them being more co-headliners on this tour. Demure singer Milly Hamilton of the Brooklyn-incubated four piece drops a milky-smooth combination of words and whispers over a reverbed guitar that never tempos too high. Overall, it’s a very comfortable and warm vibe. In addition to their eponymous LP, they debuted some promising new material tonight.

Whereas Widowspeak embodies mellowness, 2:54 is dark and intense. They’re a British rock group, with two sisters as the front of the band. I’d swear that Mercury Lounge even felt colder as their set progressed. The lead guitar lines are phenomenal, countering the oppressive vocals with the force of a powder keg, which is what makes them special. They just debuted a self-titled LP, definitely check out its closer, “Creeping“. It made for a fitting finale for the evening.

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