Gang of Youths at Brooklyn Steel
May 10, 2022
So, first things first. Local man John found the four of us a solid place for drink and victuals at Cozy Royale on Humboldt Street, minutes away from Brooklyn Steel. Great appetizers, burgers, and beverages for our pre-game. And geographically desirable, for many upcoming shows at Brooklyn Steel. We’ll be back! Thanks, John!
Aussie pal David P discovered this Aussie band after moving here to New York a few years back. He put them on our “must-see” list, so here we are. And, he had bought the tickets. And dinner. AND, he was SO right about Wolf Alice it was totally worth a shot.
I didn’t know anything about this band until a couple of days ago, when I checked out a friend’s (OK, David’s) recommended playlist. With all due respect, it was a “nice’ playlist, with a mix of ballads, light folk-rock, and some catchy but not overwhelming numbers that served as good background for making dinner, but wasn’t overly as compelling as Wolf Alice or some others.
But Live is always better. Gang of Youths packed the house at Brooklyn Steel. It was a relatively young crowd, well behaved and respectful. Nobody got killed in a mosh pit. And I’d venture to say half of the crowd of 2,000 or so (wild guess) knew ALL THE WORDS to every song. How does this always happen???
Gang of Youths sets up as a six-piece. Two drum kits (Adam Ant, anyone?), three guitars, a keyboard, and a violin. They’ve got a wide range, including ballads like “Achilles Come Down” and “hand of god”, and some straight ahead but not punishing rockers like “Magnolia” and ‘in the wake of your leave” that everybody bounces along to. It’s overall very easy to listen, and get caught up in the musical skills, energy, and passion of the group. There’s tales from the Aussie homeland, family profiles, and exhortations to dance, enjoy life, and be good to each other. And it’s all very genuine, and very well put together. They put on a hell of a show, just under two hours.
The clear front man is David Le’aupepe, who writes (and performs) most of their songs. He kind of has this big, cuddly Game of Thrones Jon Snow vibe, all black beard and hair. He’s part singer, shows some dance moves or performing art, plays guitar, sits at the keyboard for some of the group’s softer ballads, and serves as the band’s cheerleader and crowd-raiser. And he can fucking talk. He was clearly grateful for the raucous Brooklyn crowd and for the adoration. He also impressed on us his Aussie roots and the foul, fucking language that comes with it. But he’s also a Man of the People, and in one number rushed into the crowd to personally hug each of us. I was standing in row 185, but he found me and gave me TWO hugs. I’m not sure if it was the bright red Fontaines DC shirt I was sporting, or if I’m just a lucky guy, but I’m not sure I’ll every be the same.