Eclectic alt-pop singer Sub Urban warmed up the crowd for AURORA at New York’s SummerStage in Central Park on June 4th.
Blending together dark pop sounds layered with circus themes and catchy trap inspired beats, the artist fully immersed himself in the performance. It’s clear that the musician, who averages over 10 million global weekly streams, was extremely comfortable on stage. That is, outside of his decision to wear a black cropped sweater and jeans on an 80 degree summer day.
Despite making multiple remarks about regretting his outfit choice, the artist didn’t let the heat deter him from fully immersing himself in dance. The diverse crowd, ranging from parents with young children to groups of young adults, embraced the energy and joined in on the dancing. As the show progressed, Sub Urban went full camp and began using distorted vocal effects reminiscent of V for Vendetta, with a sly smile as he did so.
Sub Urban, who has surpassed 1.5 billion streams worldwide, released his major label debut album, HIVE, the day before the show. Listen to HIVE on Spotify and enjoy photos from his performance below.
Jeremy Zucker returned to New York City for the first time since moving to L.A. on Thursday, November 18. Performing at Terminal 5, the artist was supported by the fast-rising Toronto-based pop punk band, Babygirl.
Describing their music as “pop songs with sad guitars”, Babygirl has quickly amassed a dedicated following. With a pocket of enthusiastic fans packed into the front of the crowd, the band played singles such as “Easy” and “Million Dollar Bed” from their latest EP, Losers Weepers. Their fans sang back every word without missing a beat, singing particularly loudly for Babygirl’s 2018 hit, “I Wish I Never Met You”. In between songs, the crowd professed their love for the band and screamed in support.
As the night progressed, the anticipation grew for the packed Terminal 5 crowd. Chants of “Jeremy! Jeremy! Jeremy!” began filling the room as Jeremy Zucker’s set time approached. As the lights dimmed and Zucker’s intro song rang out, deafening screams filled the air.
The New Jersey-born artist initially gained major traction within the music scene during his senior year of college in 2018. Torn between completing his degree and pursuing music full time, Zucker chose to finish off college and immediately went on tour upon graduating. It’s safe to say this choice has not held the artist back whatsoever — since that time, he’s amassed an incredible 5.3 million global streams and sold 3 million albums.
Unable to tour his 2020 album, Love Is Not Dying due to the global pandemic, and releasing a new album, Crusher in 2021, Zucker performed a carefully curated mix of the two albums with other singles interspersed. Starting with “we’re fucked, it’s fine” off of Love Is Not Dying, Zucker managed to contain the wildly enthusiastic crowd during the opening number. Zucker then transitioned into “Therapist” off of Crusher — the more upbeat song perfectly matched the audience’s excitement and allowed the artist to showcase some of his dance moves. Though Zucker faced sound issues as the set progressed, he did not skip a beat and continued on.
Towards the end of the night, Zucker took a break to call out the fact that he grew up right across the pond from New York City. Pointing to the second level, he gushed that his family and close friends were all in attendance, making the night extra special for him. One of the close friends was fellow musician, Chelsea Cutler, who came out to perform “you were good to me” off of their joint EP, Brent.
It’s safe to say the audience thoroughly enjoyed the night, as almost each and every face was lit up with a smile as the crowd dispersed from the venue.
Performing at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on November 10th, JAWNY walked onto the stage with a cheeky smile as Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” blasted. The song was one of the many mid-2000’s hits that the artist played before his set — all of which the crowd sang along to in unison.
As Swift’s song ended and JAWNY’s time began, he played the opening notes of “Take it Back” before abruptly stopping. A crew member had gotten his attention because an audience member felt unwell and needed a medic. The entire room instantly tensed up — just days before the show, the tragic events at the Astroworld festival had transpired, leaving the concert world in a state of shock and grief. Unlike artists at Astroworld, JAWNY instantly quieted the crowd, made sure the audience member was getting help, and even gave her one of his water bottles.
The crowd cheered as the artist threw a bit of shade,
“This is what we do when someone isn’t feeling good…we stop…the…show” he emphasized.
Despite being visibly shaken up after the incident and having rolled his ankle at the Oakland stop of the tour, the artist put on a stellar performance filled with energy.
JAWNY interspersed humorous stories in between performing hits such as “Honeypie”, “4Tounce”, and “For Abby”. Known for his witty storytelling, the artist shared that he constantly runs over his set time because he rambles on for too long, and sassily remarked,
“I always go over time and get in trouble with the venue…so I’ll shut the fuck up and play.”
Ironically, the artist ended up performing a multi-song encore for the crowd, though we trust that he kept his word and didn’t go over time.
JAWNY released his latest project, The Story of Hugo, in July of this year. Listen to the project here.
Alexander 23 opened up for Chelsea Cutler on March 3, 2020. We were all instantly in love with the neon heart sign that he had on stage, and clearly falling in love with him as he played his newest single “I Hate You So Much,” and covering bops such as Miley’s “Party In The U.S.A.” Take a look at all the photos below! And then check out our other coverage from concert if you haven’t already: Chelsea Cutler photos and the X Lovers interview.
Godlands opened for Steve Aoki at Avant Gardner in Brooklyn, NY this past weekend, and we went to check it out. Annabel Hartlett, known by her stage name Godlands, is an Australian musician and DJ. Her new single with Samplegod, Smoke Em Up, is out now. See all the shots from her set right here:
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