Twin Peaks played to a packed Webster Hall as if their lives depended on it. It was easily one of the best shows I had attended this year. On a chilly Friday night, eager fans showed up hours before doors in anticipation of the Chicago band’s sun-drenched sounds and apeshit antics [Connor Brodner and Clay Frankel mooned the crowd through the green room windows pre-show].
After Golden Daze and Together Pangea set the mood with dreamy California guitar rock and garage punk, respectively, the boys took the stage. Soaring into what quickly turned into a wild night, Twin Peaks kicked off the night with “Butterfly,” the energetic and fast paced cut off their third and best effort, “Down In Heaven.” Right away, the crowd was moshing and singing along to the ‘ba ba bas’ in the chorus as the band sloshed around the stage.
photo: Joyce Lee / EUPH.Wasting no time, Clay, Cadien, Jack, Connor and Colin launched into “I Found A New Way,” a rambunctious crowd favorite that triggered crowd surfing that lasted the entire night. Bodies floated all around as the band transitioned to some slower tunes like “Boomers” and moshing resumed once the boys picked up the pace with tracks like “Walk To The One You Love” and “Flavor.” Every twangy riff, whiplash inducing headbang and howl was cathartic for both the band and audience.
Twin Peaks created an atmosphere that just made people want to get drunk with whoever was around them. Their DIY spirits distinguish them from the slew of indie bands that seem to appear daily. No one seemed to care that everyone’s sweat was rubbing off on everyone else’s clothes and bare skin. Kids were crazy jangling with strangers to the warm guitars featured in “Getting Better” and “My Boys” and swaying in unison as if they had known each other for years.
photo: Joyce Lee / EUPH.Before long, I even started squeezing my way into the community of packed bodies. As the band pulled out the craziest riffs and bounced around on stage, I schlepped around the mosh pit without the weight of my emotions or camera. In that moment, I just felt so happy to be alive and so did everyone else. During the heated chorus of “Fade Away,” I found myself in the air for my first ever crowd surf. It was all a crazed blur, but helping hands prevented what would have been a head first plummet.
There’s something special about a band who could-with their middle finger attitudes strung with tight rock tunes-bring together people who probably wouldn’t speak to each other on a subway train. Something about these Twin Peaks boys and their songs made people drop egos and forget their cares for the sake of music and a grand ole time. By the end of the night, you could tell that Twin Peaks (and the crowd) had nothing left to give.
Similar to their friends and golden sad boys Whitney, Twin Peaks and Co. put on a relentlessly energetic show that convinced all who were present that the Chicago rock n’ roll scene would give Brooklyn musicians a run for their money. If a band could impress a New York crowd as much as Twin Peaks did, you could bet your bottom dollar that this young band would be returning for years to come.
