Pip Blom at Mercury Lounge
March 21, 2022
My usual stunt is to check out bands at SXSW, add the ones I like to my repertoire, and scan the web for when they might play a gig in New York City or in my home state of New Jersey.
SXSW 2019 introduced me to some really great bands that I sought out after leaving Austin, including Black Pistol Fire, The Beths, The Joy Formidable, The Strumbellas, Fontaines D.C., Fatherson, Mike Krol, and Pip Blom. There were plenty of other great bands, but these were the ones that I’d make an effort to go see again.
So, I loaded up on concerts in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, and got to most, but not all of my new list from SXSW. I also made time to see some perennial favorites of mine like the Pixies, New Pornographers, Social Distortion, and almost anybody who made it to the Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park.
But I never got to Pip Blom, the last band I added to my must-see-again list at SXSW 2019. Our two-year-plus Covid pandemic but the kibosh on many things, especially large gatherings of music fans in small, indoor venues. So, like many others, I channeled my passion for live music into livestreams and merch, doing my best to support the artists we love.
I had encountered Pip Blom in the waning hours of SXSW 2019. It was late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, wandering back to the Driskill Hotel, a bit bleary-eyed from a solid week of (tremendous) live music. I heard somebody pounding it out at Friends’, the very last gin joint in 6th Street before the Driskill, and it sounded good enough to rally me for one last stand.
I stayed for a terrific set, full-on rock and roll, loaded with guitar hooks and passionate vocals. The lead singer ended the set on the floor, under her guitar, still blazing away and belting out lyrics to their finale. They were incredible.
I asked the nearest guy, “Who’s the band?”
He said, “Pip Blom”.
“What?”
“Pip Blom. They’re Dutch.”
Just prior to this year’s reincarnation of SXSW, I scanned the A-Z list of Musical Showcases, and sure enough, there was Pip Blom, planning to return to the scene of the crime in Austin. And then, not. They disappeared from the official listings. Nada. Now, SXSW has a long-standing policy, “Everything subject to change.” So it goes.
BUT. I found that Pip Blom scheduled some dates in New York, and elsewhere in the States. Maybe they didn’t need South By this year; they were on their way and on the road. Anyway, I jumped on the website and grabbed a ticket to the Mercury Lounge for Monday, March 21, less that 24 hours after I returned from Austin.
At least I got to return home from Austin by plane. Pip Blom’s opening act, Catcher, made the trip back to New York by driving 28 hours. I had seen Catcher at Idle Hands on Rainey Street on St. Patrick’s Day. They were a pissed-off thrash band with an in-your-face lead singer with plenty to say. They were probably even more pissed off after the long drive home, but they put on a strong, visceral set to get the crowd going. I guess you’d call it post-punk. Lightning-quick guitar (and violin) chords sandwiched by drumbeats and spat-out social pronouncements.
Interesting mix of people at Mercury Lounge. Friends of the opening act, Catcher, who came in from Brooklyn. A woman from Holland visiting New York for a couple of days, here to support a band from her country. A middle-aged guy in a business suit and tie (for real), who had been following Pip Blom by video for two years, who claimed that “if you don’t keep trying new music, you get old.” Hmm.
Anyway, Pip Blom put on a great set. They belted out some of their better known hits like “Back to School”, and my favorite, “Pussycat”, and mixed in some new material from their 2021 issue “Welcome Break” as well.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/094dHlhTVkmLLVe5BOrE_4DUQ#New_York_-_Lower_East_Side
They set up as a four-piece band. Pip Blom plays lead and sings nearly all the vocals. Tender Blom and Derek Mercks add bass and rhythm guitars. Gini Cameron bangs the shit out of the drums. The band is tight, and fun, and raucous.
After the set I told Pip that we missed them at South By this year. “We’ll be back at SXSW next year”, she promised.
Wherever they play, they’re worth a look.