Delorean, Tanlines & Glasser played Bowery Ballroom in NYC

words by Rachel Kowal, photo by Diana Wong

DOWNLOAD: Delorean -- "Stay Close" (Banana Clipz Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Tanlines - Real Life (Basic Needs remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Tanlines - Real Life (MP3)

The eccentrically dressed Cameron Mesirow bounded on stage at the Bowery Ballroom to kick off Saturday night's show (7/10). Mesirow, the woman who parades under the moniker Glasser, proceeded to spastically dance around the stage, mic in hand. Mesirow makes whimsical, dreamlike music with more than a touch of dramatic flair. When she wasn't dancing around stage, she would often crouch down and stare out at the audience intently as she struck odd, animal-like struck poses. With her eyes open wide and her arms out in front of her, she did a pretty solid zombie impression. I sometimes struggle with this theatrical kind of delivery (Zola Jesus springs to mind), but Glasser is better at keeping things light. Her vocals are haunting and delicate without being overly dramatic and showy. Glasser definitely helped get the audience in the mood for a night full of dancing.

Next up on the all True Panter-signed artist bill was a heavy dose of pop-infused techno music from the Brooklyn-based duo Tanlines. Though their beats were for the most part pre-programmed, Eric Emm sang and played the guitar over the loops that Jesse Cohen managed. The sound was decent overall, but the vocals did sometimes get swallowed in the mix as the layers of sound got thicker. As Tanlines' set unfolded, the people immediately in front of the stage began wildly dancing and the crowd stepped back to give them more space. As it turns out, the dancing was only getting started.

It was midnight when Delorean finally took the stage, but the crowd was still enthused. The mood was festive and fiercely energetic. The house's giant disco ball is typically reserved for a single song or two, but it sent shimmering splashes of light over the room for nearly all of Delorean's set.

Keeping in line with the two openers, Delorean also utilized electronic drums to some extent - though this time the drum pads were supplemented by free-standing cymbals to form some sort of a hybrid kit.

The audience began thrashing around during the very first song and it only got more rowdy as Delorean got further into their set. People were jumping up and down in time to the beat, their hands raised up. Half-full cups of beer were thrown into the air, their contents rained down to soak the frenzied crowd. Though the show was sold-out, the crowd was thinner than usual, which was probably for the best - all the more room for dancing.

It's been a long time since I've seen New Yorkers let loose that much at a show - especially one at a midsized venue. The movement spread to the back of the room and even extended to the balcony where people had abandoned the comfort of their chairs.

Back on stage, the members of Delorean were dancing, too - especially the keyboard player who was bouncing around so much that it's a wonder that he managed to hit the right notes. The infectious beats complimented their melodic but largely indecipherable vocals to create a trance-like state both in the crowd and on stage. The Barcelona-based group powered through their songs without stopping much to talk, as if they were worried about breaking their momentum.

Delorean played a relatively short set with just a single song for the encore, but they definitely went out on a high note.

Exactly one week earlier, Delorean and Glasser shared a bill at PS1. Four days after that Delorean played to a packed crowd in Stuy Town. Delorean's next NYC show is this year's final Pool Party (where they play along with two "secret special guests").

Tanlines' next show is August 27th at the Whitney.

Delorean hits Great Scott in MA tonight. All tour dates below...