Clear Plastic Masks – Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn, NY 1/15/15 (SHOW REVIEW)

The first time I saw Clear Plastic Masks live, I remember thinking, “It’s only a matter of a time before these guys hit it big.” They’ve got the soulful swagger of Alabama Shakes and the cool-kid attitude of the Black Lips. And their stage presence is so naturally electric. They can put on a hell of a live show that will ensure every single person in the audience is dancing. In fact, the first time I saw them, it was near impossible to stay still.

Now, less than a year later, it’s clear that this Nashville-based band (by way of Brooklyn) is still evolving, and still finding their voice. Of course, they can easily draw a crowd and fill a room, as was the case on Thursday, January 15th at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn. The major difference between this show and the last one was the significantly heavier presence of a psychedelic sound. Even on their debut record Being There, which came out in 2014, there’s more of a grounded R&B-soul-rock sound happening than a bevvy of trippy guitar jams.

They followed a short opening set from Brooklyn duo Winstons, who played from start to finish in heavy fur coats (a feat, even on a frigid night in January). By the time CPM took the stage, the place was packed with an enthusiastic and eclectic group of fans. Opening with their cover of the 1965 Eddie & Ernie tune “Outcast”, a song that really shows off their enormous sound. They were much rowdier and louder this time around, perhaps because this venue is small.

Front man Andrew Katz jumped effortlessly between the guitar, the keys, and the microphone, even on such a tiny stage. With his booming voice and towering, lanky frame, he is a big, commanding presence on stage, with a huge personality. This particular night found him goofing around between songs, chanting bad hip-hop (he’d recently spent a month in Detroit), wishing his brother Milton a happy birthday, and profusely expressing his gratitude to the audience. “Thank you so fuckin’ much,” he kept saying, as though he still isn’t used to the band’s buzziness.

The band played many of the songs from Being There, including “When the Nighttime Comes”, “Working Girl” and “Baby Come On”. These three are easily their best songs, along with “In Case You Forgot” (which they omitted from this set). Each of them is big, loud, soulful and almost animalistic. This live show was more akin to a psych-rock garage session, as opposed to the bluesier, more soul-centric sound of their record, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. They seem to have a lot more fun when they can rock out, uninhibited, on their guitars, head-banging all along.

It will be interesting to see what CPM’s next record sounds like, given that their live show has certainly gone through some change just in the last six months or so. Admittedly, their live show trumps their album just a bit, as they’re a band that thrives on stage. Go see them if you can.

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