A Friday night in the Park Slope saw AA Bondy and Delta Spirit play directly downstairs from the bocce ball courts of the fancy Union Hall. Bondy was on first and his folk-minimalist approach was engaging in the tight confines, but some had more of a Friday Night vibe on their mind and the beginning of his set had bar chatter overriding the strumming, but hey, at least I didn’t have to deal with this douchebag.
As the set progressed however, the noise stopped and crowd became engaged by the breathless performance and morose ballads that AA was singing such as “Black Rain” and “Killed Myself When I Was Young”. He wasn’t all dark and death though, jokingly asking the crowd if they ever snorted coke off a baby, and when an awkward silence followed he quipped with a snicker, “I can’t wait to have a kid.”
Delta Spirit played next and the room filled up with those returning from the Cold War Kids’ Prospect Park show. A few of the CWK’s even stopped by to get in on the action which was perfect because both bands exude a familial vibe with their playing and song writing. Delta Spirit opened with one of the set highlights, “People C’mon” a pulsing call to arms that contained a thunderous bass line. The stage was always in motion; instruments were exchanged and positions rearranged throughout the set while the main vocals were handled expertly by Matthew Vasquez.
The best songs on the night were the rambling “Thrashcan” and the set-closing powerful political sing-along of “People, Turn Around”. Overall, the headlining set might have been a bit too much time for these lads to fill as the high points were exhilarating, but a tighter, trimmer set would eliminate the all-too-present downtime. Delta Spirit’s energy and communal sound will only expand as they are scheduled to open for Dr. Dog this summer, a band they should mesh with nicely, fans of either band should be excited for that night of tunes when the circus comes to town.
