Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Arts & Entertainment

Week in Rock: Co-Headliners Edition

By

Ben Yakas

Published Apr 16, 2010

Modified Apr 16, 2010

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

tUnE-yArDs/Xiu Xiu at Bowery Ballroom"Get people's attention or die," said Merrill Garbus, better known as tUnE-yArDs, in a recent interview. She co-headlined Bowery Ballroom this past Friday with Xiu Xiu, and defiantly backed up those words with her engaging, exciting, thoroughly-entrancing performance.tUnE-yArDs needs to be seen live to be appreciated; it's mostly Garbus, assisted by bassist Nate Brenner, looping her voice and percussion into a frenzy of backing tracks, then playing an electric ukulele and singing on top of all that. She builds each song from one element to the next, a thrilling pile-on of pitch-perfect notes and harmonies. She opened with the killer "Hatori," where she practically grabbed each member of the sold-out audience and shaked them into a jumble of "grrrrraw grrrrraw's." She engaged with the audience in a direct, unpretentious manner that was refreshing and charming. The set spanned several songs from her debut album, including highlights "Fiya" and "Real Live Flesh," and new songs such as the bubbly "Powa" and set closer "Do You Want to Live." (You can see a video of that one below.)Xiu Xiu had the unenviable task of following Garbus' incredibly joyous set—half the room emptied out before they even started. Now reduced to a duo, Xiu Xiu played their whispery gothic-punk songs, steeped in early Cure and lots of synthy electronics, to a somewhat indifferent crowd. They started off with two of their most atonal songs, but soon found a groove that carried through the rest of the show, including highlight "I Love the Valley Oh." Maybe it'd make more sense if the two bands swap time-slots next time.

 

Gothamist

View all 3

By

Ben Yakas

Published Apr 16, 2010

Modified Apr 16, 2010

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Click through for more on Xiu Xiu and tUnE-yArDs co-headlining at the Bowery, folk singer Sam Amidon, and infectious indie rockers Plants and Animals.

Also this week:

Tagged

doveman

Music

plants and animals

sam amidon

tune yards

week in rock

xiu xiu

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE arts-entertainment

Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.

A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.

By

Sonia Rao

Published Sep 26, 2026

There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.

See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.

By

Hannah Frishberg

Arts & Entertainment

There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.

See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.

By

Hannah Frishberg

A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.

By

Hannah Frishberg

How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest

By

Sonia Rao

NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says

By

Hannah Frishberg

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .