Photo by Greg Cristman
Gregory R. Cristman

The Pop Group played Rough Trade w/ Pampers (pics, setlist), playing BrooklynVegan free day party & more SXSW shows

photos by Greg Cristman; words by Bill Pearis

The Pop Group @ Rough Trade 3/16/2015
The Pop Group
The Pop Group

Postpunk icons The Pop Group just rolled through NYC, playing two shows as part of their Citizen Zombie tour which is also their first full US trek ever. The first was at Rough Trade on Monday (3/16) and despite a late start, the band were in good form and spirits. Frontman Mark Stewart strode out on stage and immediately began spinning, literally winding himself up for the show where he almost never stopped moving. The show kicked off with their 1979 classic single “We Are All Prostitutes” which led nicely into the dubbed-out bombast of the title cut of Citizen Zombie (their first in 35 years). Bassist Dan Castis and drummer Bruce Smith are still a killer rhythm section, Gareth Saeger remains a lithe, funky guitarist…and Mark Stewart continues to hold court with his distinctive yelp and magnetic stage presence.

Their set was pretty much equal parts Citizen Zombie cuts and first-gen Pop songs like “Where There’s a Will” and “She Is Beyond Good and Evil,” which probably got the biggest crowd reaction of the night. The new songs are still being worked out live and a couple, stripped of studio wizardry, came off kinda like deep cuts from The Clash’s Sandinista while other ones like “Shadow Child” (“Maybe the strangest song we’ve ever written”) successfully translated their paranoid dub to 2015. The Pop Group are still at their best when at their most obtuse. (Setlist is below) Stewart was fairly chatty with the crowd, talking about visiting ’70s-era NYC spots Mudd Club, Danceteria and, his “fave,” Tier 3 and then dedicating a song to his old friend “Patty Hearst”… before sheepishly correcting himself. “Smith. I meant Patty Smith!”

The night got off to a great start with Pampers who probably share a similar ideology with The Pop Group, though definitely not approach. Their fuck-off brand of punk is bile black but hooky, with their singer barking into an abused Casio SK-1 adding weird loops. You can catch them again at their two-night Union Pool stand in April. Pictures from their set are below.

The Pop Group played last night (3/17) at Bowery Ballroom with Regal Degal and YOU. Anyone go to that show? If you’re in Austin for SXSW, they’ll be playing a few shows there, including the BrooklynVegan free day party at Red 7 on Saturday (3/21).

More pics from their Rough Trade show are below…

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The Pop Group

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SETLIST: The Pop Group @ Rough Trade 3/16/2015
We Are All Prostitutes
Citizen Zombie
Thief of Fire
Mad Truth
S.O.P.H.I.A.
Words Disobey Me
Nowhere Girl
She Is Beyond Good and Evil
Shadow Child
Spanish Inquisition
Age of Miracles
Trap
We Are Time

Encore:
Where There’s a Will