On Saturday, October 25, San Francisco punk rock band, Osees, arrived at Brooklyn’s Warsaw theater, their first of two sold out shows at the venue.
The band has been around for decades but their work has always centered around boisterous garage rock with psychedelic, electronic elements. Their primary sonic influences are best displayed with the openers they chose for the evening; the first being NY native noise artist, Leila Bordreuil.
For an opener, Bordreuil put on a demanding show. Fiddling with her hardware and crafting larger than life sonic waves. At one point the bass was rippling through me with such intensity I had to double check if my earplugs were still going to effectively protect my ears. However, her main focus came in the form of her cello which was hooked up to an incredibly sensitive pickup.
The typically deep, beautiful string instrument became a weapon of sonic destruction with her scratching the bow against the strings. My personal favorite thing she would do occurred when she slammed the bow against her cello. The noise created rippled through Warsaw like an explosion with every thud.
Following Bordreuil was the japanese rock band DMBQ. Their name stands for Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet and despite the fact that they are a three piece, their name is incredibly accurate for their sound. Heavy, intense and fun, DMBQ blew the venue wide open with their classic blues inspired bomb tracks.
It felt like hell itself with how fiery their performances were. The alarm system seemed to agree because the smoke alarm went off two songs into their set. It definitely was not the band’s fault but I like to imagine that some puritanical force was trying to force the devil out of the building.
Finally, it was Osees time to shine and after a quick turnover the five piece tore up Warsaw. The band started up like clockwork with the song “Carrion Crawler.” John Dwyer moved around the stage like an animal, flexing his flexibility like a spider. He wields his guitar like a kid playing with a Christmas present. But instead of playing gibberish he meticulously builds upon the band’s peppy rhythm.
The drumming from Paul Quattrone and Dan Rincon was insane. The level of precision they have is out of this world. The improved sound system greatly enhanced Osees sound. Their song “Animated Violence” sounded like a call for war with how thunderous their toms were.
Attempting to navigate the crowd at Warsaw was like trying to cross the Atlantic ocean with intoxicated dudes plowing through like rogue waves. The song “Withered Hand” offered the most intense moment of the night. The mosh pit slowly opened up during the foreboding intro. It quick imploded as the song crashed into the insane main riff. Fans of Osees will love the catalogue spanning odyssey the band goes on for this tour hopping around decades of their history.
The 25th was a night to remember. Also with a second sold out show the next night, the San Francisco punk rockers have more to offer Brooklyn.
→ Continue reading at NYS Music
