Last month TV On The Radio made their live return to NYC (they played Governors Ball this summer) with one large-scale show at The Apollo, and two much more intimate shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg.
With new album Seeds, the Brooklyn natives have made one of their most accessible records to date. Even if they’re opening their doors to new ears, they haven’t lost that trademark TVOTR flavor that we all know and love. During the performance they ran through the best that Seeds has to offer such as the fiery “Lazerray” and the glamorous “Happy Idiot.” The new material sounded rich live, but the best moments came when they turned back the clocks, delivering inspired performances of favorites such as “DLZ,” “Staring At The Sun,” and of course, “Wolf Like Me,” which had the entire room collectively losing their sit (as they should have). It would have been nice to hear “Dancing Choose,” but I’ll certainly take the great performance of “Golden Age” that took its place.
It’s always great to see the interplay between TVOTR’s duel vocalists, the animated Babatunde Adebimpe and the more calm presence of Kyp Malone. They work of each other well, along with the steady but crucial influence of Dave Sitek who quietly holds down the fort. Seeing these guys work together on the tinier than usual real estate of MHOW was an absolute treat, and I treasured every damn moment of it.
Natasha Kmeto opened the show, giving a soulful performance over electronic soundscapes. It made sense when I learned that she’s signed to Sitek’s label, Federal Prism.
Setlist:
1. Young Liars
2. Golden Age
3. Seeds
4. Happy Idiot
5. Red Dress
6. Lazerray
7. Ride
8. Could You
9. Careful You
10. Province
11. Blues From Down Here
12. Wolf Like Me
13. Trouble
Encore:
14. Forgotten
15. DLZ
16. Staring at the Sun
TV On The Radio:
Natasha Kmeto:
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