The Dandy Warhols Take Over Manhattan With A Pair Of Stellar Performances At Gonzo’s & Webster Hall

Touring in support of their twelfth studio album (ROCKMAKER, Sunset Blvd Records) scheduled to drop on March 15, featuring special appearances by Frank Black (Pixies), Slash (Guns N’ Roses) and Debbie Harry (Blondie), The Dandy Warhols (TDW) – beloved alternative-rockers from Portland, Oregon – performed back-to-back shows this past Friday (March 8) and Saturday (March 9) in the East Village.

Friday night saw the quartet of Courtney Taylor-Taylor (vocals, guitar), Peter Holmström (guitar), Zia McCabe (keyboards, bass, percussion, vocals) and Brent DeBoer (drums, guitar, vocals) take to a set of bar stools at Gonzo’s Recording Studio for an exclusive, invite-only acoustic performance. The few dozen or so lucky souls in attendance were treated to an intimate, 30-minute set that included “I Will Never Stop Loving You,” an upcoming track from ROCKMAKER on which the aforementioned Harry makes a guest spot. The night’s festivities also included a ROCKMAKER listening party, followed by a DJ set by TDW’s very own McCabe.

Despite a chilly spring evening that pounded Lower Manhattan with torrential rain for hours on end, nothing could spoil TDW’s headlining gig at Webster Hall on Saturday, a landmark building constructed in 1886 that uniquely serves as both a nightclub and concert hall. Providing support for TDW were Sisters Of Your Sunshine Vapor (SOYSV), a psych-power band formed in 2009 who call Detroit home. Having released their sixth album (Nocturnal Train To Mars, Little Cloud Records) last month, the trio of Sean Morrow (vocals, guitar), Eric Oppitz (bass, keyboards) and Rick Sawoscinski (drums) enveloped the steadily growing audience in a sonic landscape of haunting melodies, fuzzed-out guitar riffs and hypnotic bass lines.

Taking the stage at 8:50 pm, TDW dove right into a 90-minute set of hypnotic psychedelia that collectively mesmerized the 1,500-capacity crowd. Performing tracks spanning a magnificent three decade career, the night’s stand-out numbers included “We Used to Be Friends” and “The Last High” (Welcome to the Monkey House, 2003), “Bohemian Like You” (Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia, 2000) and “Boys Better” (. . . The Dandy Warhols Come Down, 1997). The show closed with McCabe alone on stage as she lovingly serenaded us with an innocent rendition of The Velvet Underground’s 1969 song “After Hours.”

TDW’s tour visits select North American cities over the next week, culminating in Los Angeles on March 19. The foursome will then relaunch the tour in Auckland, New Zealand on April 22, followed by a string of seven dates in Australia (April 25 – May 3).

Sisters Of Your Sunshine Vapor Setlist: Sweet Girl Insanity > She Makes a Great Parade > It’s Good to Be Alive > Walk of Sobriety > Crystal Cup > Suck Upon the Living > Night Crawler > Mister Baby (The Ballad of Ilk) > Black Mind

The Dandy Warhols Setlist (Gonzo’s): I’d Like To Help You With Your Problem > Styggo > Godless > I Will Never Stop Loving You > We Used to Be Friends

The Dandy Warhols Setlist (Webster Hall): Ride > I’d Like To Help You With Your Problem > We Used to Be Friends > Crack Cocaine Rager > Danzig With Myself > Styggo > Plan A > Be Alright > Summer of Hate > I Love You > The Last High > I Will Never Stop Loving You > Arpeggio Adaggio > Holding Me Up > Godless > Bohemian Like You > Pete International Airport / Boys Better

UPCOMING TOUR DATES

March 12 – Toronto, Ontario @ Danforth Music Hall

March 14 – Columbus, Ohio @ Newport Music Hall

March 15 – Indianapolis, Indiana @ Vogue Theater

March 16 – St. Louis, Missouri @ Delmar Hall

March 18 – Denver, Colorado @ Gothic Theatre

March 19 – Los Angeles, California @ Fonda Theatre

April 22 – Auckland, New Zealand @ The Powerstation

April 25 – Brisbane, Australia @ The Tivoli

April 26 – Adelaide, Australia @ The Gov

April 28 – Melbourne, Australia @ Forum

April 29 – Perth, Australia @ Astor Theatre

May 1 – Sydney, Australia @ Enmore Theatre

May 2 – Adelaide, Australia @ The Gov

May 3 – Melbourne, Australia @ Northcote Theatre

SISTERS OF YOUR SUNSHINE VAPOR

THE DANDY WARHOLS