Show Review: A Deer A Horse, MURF, Sleepwell, Contract at The Woodshop.
June 23rd, 2024.
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"Blood is the rose of mysterious union" -Jim Morrison
June 24th, 2024
Where’s the Woodshop? It’s right next door to The Meadows. That’s where we were last night to see Contract, Sleepwell, MURF, and A Deer A Horse. You know the saying, all’s well that sleeps well, and that certainly applied last night. This written account cannot fully capture what happened, but here’s our account anyway.
Contract were a couple of djentlemen with heavy riffs, occasional blast beats, and stomping breakdowns. It was like Black Sabbath getting sucked into a black hole. They played the kind of set where the kick drum body slams you in the chest with blasts of air. Our favorite part were moments when the guitarist and bassist would go back and forth trading riffs and vocals.
We noticed for the first time that Sleepwell’s bassist is a lefty. It’s quite astounding that only 10% of the population is left handed, yet the list of iconic lefty guitar players is long. Hendrix, McCartney, Cobain, Bowie, the list goes on. We say this to say that a Sleepwell show has a mythic quality. Their songs combine to create a state of mind, one that envelops you. Like a bad dream where all your wildest wishes and worst nightmares come true, at the same time.
MURF covered the crowd with sprays of fake blood. Blood on our faces. Blood on our shirts. Blood on our arms. Blood on our pants and shoes. Blood on our hands. After their set finished, more than a dozen people lined up for the bathroom sink, looking at each other in shocked disbelief. Blood was everywhere. The bathrooms had no mirrors, we had to check each other. The sound tech came in to wash blood off the microphone. And that was one of the least interesting aspects of MURPH’s performance.
A Deer A Horse opened with a scorching and frantic number. Their first song was like a hot shower where you finally come up with the words to win that argument that went down earlier in the day, then you scream them into the porcelain tiles. Their set was hypnotic, constant tension and constant release. Bass thumped, guitar was a squealing siren, drumming shuffled and stomped through the storm of noise.
We left the venue bloody and transformed but like we said at the start, all’s well that sleeps well. You weren’t there? Connect with these bands below and catch their next show.
| Keywords: | The Woodshop | Contract | Sleepwell | MURF | A Deer A Horse | New York City |
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