Brooklyn – Let’s talk about the heat. And no, that’s not in reference to the fiery passion Parquet Courts brought to the stage at Market Hotel on Saturday, August 13th (though there was that). No, that’s about the literal heat, made even warmer by the packed crowd who showed up at the sold out show to see the band perform as part of the Parquet Courts’ tour in support of the Brooklyn four-piece’s latest album, Human Performance. It can’t be said that the temperature went unnoticed – it was hot. But somehow, the 90-degree climate worked with the performance. Dripping with moisture, both the band and the audience embraced it fully; on the stage, bassist Sean Yeaton headbanging his drenched long locks, in the crowd saturated skin-to-skin contact during impassioned moshing. And this was sort of the overriding theme of the show: a conglomeration of several factors resulting in the grittiest form of kismet.
Aside from the sweltering weather, there was the venue. Market Hotel is so inconspicuous, if you weren’t planning on seeing a show there, you wouldn’t know it existed. There’s no obvious sign. The exterior (and some of the interior) is covered in graffiti and street art. And it was perfect for the New York born band. Located next to a grocery store at the cross between Broadway and Myrtle Ave., the DIY spot’s natural character almost served as an intentional compliment to much of the band’s performance, with songs that lament love and contemporary city life like “Dust,” “I Was Just here,” and “Captive of the Sun,” during which guitarist and vocalist Andrew Savage belted out, “Skull shaking cadence of the J train rolls / the rhythm of defeat repeating like a pulse,” as the actual J train passed through the station behind the stage’s window, lighting it up. Savage also paid homage to the venue, which only reopened early this year after being shut down in 2010, by saying it was “one of his favorites” when he first moved to New York.
In addition to Sean Yeaton and Andrew Savage, Austin Brown (guitar/vocals) and Max Savage (drums) complete the four-piece that make up Parquet Courts. Though only active since 2011, with Human Performance being the band’s fifth LP and the third with Rough Trade Records, the band had the feel of an established cult classic, with fans dynamically singing along to every song. The vibe during songs like “Pathos Prairie” from Human Performance and “Yr No Stoner” from 2012’s Light Up Gold evoked the fervor of someone like the Violent Femmes or Velvet Underground.
The hour set from 11PM-12AM (very punctual for a DIY place) contained a good mix of tracks from both Human Performance and past albums. Sometimes the band, particularly Andrew Savage, would take breaks to banter with the crowd. “More heat!” someone yelled. “He wants more heat,” Savage said. “Luckily we don’t take requests.” Other times, Parquet Courts would just seamlessly go into the next one, the start of each song packing a punch of new energy, with members holding guitars up to the amps, spitting/singing/yelling into the mics. The immediacy of it all makes it a challenging to put into words. There was the notion of, “This needs to be captured right now because this is visceral,” as well as moments of, “Oh, this is happening” with the knowledge that the particular feeling wouldn’t carry over to the next morning or even the next five minutes. Andrew Savage talked about the way these places come and go and to not “take it for granted” when talking about Market Hotel, but he could have been talking about the show itself.
Many of the moves – the headbanging, the mosh pit, a fan making her way to the front to stage dive for the final song – was standard punk rock, but completely genuine. The band closed with “Sunbathing Animal” and was as invigorated as if the four guys had just hopped on stage. The soaked-in-sweat 20 and 30 something concertgoers exited victoriously, sprawling dizzily onto the streets, the music they just heard serving as their drug for the rest of the night.
Parquet Courts is on tour now. A full list of tour dates can be found on the band’s website. Human Performance is available for purchase on iTunes.
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Kara Goldfarb
She’s lived in Rome and California. Deeply nostalgic. Is interested in random thoughts and observations. Drinks coffee black. Drinks whiskey with ginger ale. Hates writing bios. Non-discriminatory about people and cupcakes.
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