Palm - Outline Summer 2023

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It was a long time coming in several respects. On Saturday, August 5th, I attended my first ever Outline festival, one in a series that brings various indie musicians and bands together for stunning concerts at Maspeth's Knockdown Center. The evening featured the likes of Club Intl, Pelada, Grace Ives, Crumb, and an especially beautiful set from U. S. Girls. Perhaps the highlight of the night was an outdoor set from the dance-punk band Model/Actriz, whose propulsive industrial sound got us in the crowd jumping and moshing euphorically. Their frontman Cole Haden repeatedly entered the pit to sing, dance, and make eyes with members of his enraptured audience. Beyond that words fail me, I'm fiending to see them live again.
Rather more important though was seeing the MIDI guitar math-pop phenoms Palm for the first time. They are currently on their final ever tour so attendance was a must. Their set was heralded by "Eager Copy", opening with an almost triumphant noisescape before breaking into some of their most angular and key driven material. Their live instrumentation perfectly recreates their studio sounds, from the aforementioned cut's Big Black knife riffs to the weird, warm, and wonderful timbres of their instant classic Rock Island. They build off of that with an almost surprising amount of power and a knack for reinvention, altogether stellar performing.

Eve Alpert really stole the show with her singing and banter. Her voice is beautiful and engaging, drawing us through the bands soundscape with her lyrics of love and loss. She was happily surprised by the size of the crowd for their set, which all but filled the Center's expansive Main Space. The set ended with their big single "Dogs Milk", a fitting and drawn out send-off.

I will be seeing Palm again next month at their penultimate NYC headliner backed by Sediment Club, it promises to be a wonderful experience.

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LearsFool Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: November 09 2014 Location: New York Status: Offline Points: 8636	Post Options Post Reply Quote LearsFool Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Palm - Outline Summer 2023 Posted: August 07 2023 at 14:19
	It was a long time coming in several respects. On Saturday, August 5th, I attended my first ever Outline festival, one in a series that brings various indie musicians and bands together for stunning concerts at Maspeth's Knockdown Center. The evening featured the likes of Club Intl, Pelada, Grace Ives, Crumb, and an especially beautiful set from U. S. Girls. Perhaps the highlight of the night was an outdoor set from the dance-punk band Model/Actriz, whose propulsive industrial sound got us in the crowd jumping and moshing euphorically. Their frontman Cole Haden repeatedly entered the pit to sing, dance, and make eyes with members of his enraptured audience. Beyond that words fail me, I'm fiending to see them live again. Rather more important though was seeing the MIDI guitar math-pop phenoms Palm for the first time. They are currently on their final ever tour so attendance was a must. Their set was heralded by "Eager Copy", opening with an almost triumphant noisescape before breaking into some of their most angular and key driven material. Their live instrumentation perfectly recreates their studio sounds, from the aforementioned cut's Big Black knife riffs to the weird, warm, and wonderful timbres of their instant classic Rock Island. They build off of that with an almost surprising amount of power and a knack for reinvention, altogether stellar performing. Eve Alpert really stole the show with her singing and banter. Her voice is beautiful and engaging, drawing us through the bands soundscape with her lyrics of love and loss. She was happily surprised by the size of the crowd for their set, which all but filled the Center's expansive Main Space. The set ended with their big single "Dogs Milk", a fitting and drawn out send-off. I will be seeing Palm again next month at their penultimate NYC headliner backed by Sediment Club, it promises to be a wonderful experience.


LearsFool Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: November 09 2014 Location: New York Status: Offline Points: 8636	Post Options Post Reply Quote LearsFool Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: September 10 2023 at 04:45
	Got back from seeing the aforementioned Baby's All Right show and it was excellent. Palm was able to spread their wings with the extra time allotted them from a headliner (almost an hour-ten versus forty minutes at Outline), which enabled them to pull out more of their dour and angular sides as they performed for an enraptured audience. The effect was only heightened by the intimacy of Baby's stage, which drew everyone in deep, especially those like I and the other few who were right against the band. Crisscrossing their formidable discography, they only built upon their already flawless recreations of their studio material with rolling aplomb. Both Eve and drummer Hugo Stanley were greatly humbled by the sold out crowd and had many words to share on their gratefulness and the legacy of their formidable band. I must also shout-out Sediment Club, whose opening set was some of the most fire-and-brimstone math I've ever witnessed. While tempered at times by more quiet and tastily noodling lead-ups, their material was hard, loud, and punkishly angular. Furthermore this trio, with guitarist and bassist trading vocals as they rampaged through a thermonuclear half hour set, performed with that perfect mix of passion and technicality that defines so many great modern prog-leaning groups like the underrated Kal Marks. I especially wish to give flowers to their drummer (who for the life of me I can't conclusively identify from online sources, I'm sorry!) who had the most spirit and power of this wonderful group.