All Photos: Brandon bakus
Gerard Marcus
Melody's Echo Chamber has been one of my favorite bands since the group's first full release in 2012, which was so revolutionary that they're STILL touring the same material to this day. That isn't by any means a bad thing, as I'm pretty sure I could listen to it forever.
I was extremely excited when I heard that they were making their way across the Atlantic from France to play in NYC. That excitement was placed on hold for a while, thanks to the federal government obviously not understanding how much this show meant to me and delaying the group's visa in May.
An agonizing four months later, though, my dream became a reality at the Music Hall of Williamsburg where I witnessed a couple of amazing sets by Quilt and Melody's. Great times were had. Pics were taken.
Quilt
The fact I didn't know Quilt before this show is baffling to me. Not because I know everything there is to know about music, but because they are so utterly my kind of thing.
They are the perfect embodiment of '60s psychedelia with wonderfully modern twist. Listening to them live, it was difficult to not be transported back to my high school bedroom, gazing at my lava lamp and blacklight poster (I am well aware of the fact that I was a stereotype—16-year-old Gerard makes no apologies).
I loved every moment of their set. They were an excellent prelude to Melody's Echo Chamber, but by no means lacking in their own identity and appeal. I'm looking forward to seeing them again soon, and I hear they also have an album coming out this fall. Definitely grabbing that for the collection.
Melody's Echo Chamber
I love anticipation. The fact that the concert was postponed for four months almost made it better. Every week I watched videos of Melody's Echo Chamber shows, trying to imagine how it would feel when I finally got the chance to commune with their music in person.
The day of the show I walked into the music hall with my equally eager girlfriend, only to have her zip ahead of me and make a beeline for the front of the stage. Once I finally caught up to her during the Quilt set, I realized that she was standing right next to Pablo Padovani, guitarist in Melody's Echo Chamber and band leader another favorite French psych rock group, Moodoïd.
Suddenly, all of those months of giddy expectation were thrown back in my face. I froze, pretty embarrassingly star-struck, as he turned and looked at us (thinking, I'd imagine, that I was being a bit of a weirdo). Eventually he headed backstage to get ready for his set. A successful start to the night, I'd say.
This was Melody's second time touring the US, and they came on stage full of excitement for their first sold-out NYC show. They ran threw every song in their arsenal and even played a few covers to a crowd that was genuinely rapt.
One of the most interesting things I noticed was how comfortable Melody's was with their live experimentation, specifically that of bassist Benjamin Glibert whose flourishes had me intrigued the whole night. There was a tightness and comfort that must have come from playing the same material for almost three years straight, and it made me eager to hear what new material they'll hammer out in the future.
