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Mimi Hong

Superheaven on BV-presented tour with Diamond Youth and Rozwell Kid (pics from Webster Studio, updated dates)

photos by Mimi Hong, words by Andrew Sacher

Superheaven @ The Studio at Webster Hall – 5/15/15
Superheaven

Superheaven kicked off their BrooklynVegan-presented tour with Diamond Youth and Rozwell Kid this past Friday (5/15) at NYC’s Studio at Webster Hall, before all three of those bands played NJ’s Skate & Surf festival. Locals Soda Bomb opened the night, with a set somewhere between King of the Beach-era Wavves and Blue Album-era Weezer. With their fizzy, explosive pop punk, Soda Bomb is pretty much the perfect name for them.

Rozwell Kid were up next, and they were also kinda Weezer-y but with classic rock bombast that’s maybe more Maladroit than Blue Album. And them came Diamond Youth, who, with their sultry vocals over crunchy riffage, sounded more than a little like Queens of the Stone Age. QOTSA is one of those bands that I like, but I almost never like bands people tell me “sound like QOTSA.” Diamond Youth are an exception to that rule — it’s good stuff. Their new album, Nothing Matters, came out this week on Topshelf. You can order one from the label or enter to win a copy at the BV Facebook. It’s also streaming below.

Finally Superheaven wrapped up the night, and wasted no time getting to the good stuff with the banging “I’ve Been Bored” as their first song. Co-frontman Taylor Madison recently told Red Bull that he doesn’t like being called “grunge” because it’s a time-specific thing. That’s true — the term described an era, a location, and a love of saggy flannel more than it described a coherent genre of music. That said (and with all due respect to Superheaven), they’re pretty fucking grunge. Throughout their set I had moments thinking to myself “Smashing Pumpkins!” “Nirvana!” “Alice In Chains!” One member even wore saggy flannel. That’s not a bad thing though because there just aren’t many bands tapping into that sound right now as successfully as Superheaven are. If you watched Foo Fighters play “Everlong” on Letterman this week and thought to yourself, “Why can’t there be a new band like that?,” maybe you just haven’t heard Superheaven.

The tour hits Chicago tonight (5/22) and continues through late June, ending in Philly on 6/21. All remaining dates are listed, with more pictures from the NYC show, below…

Superheaven

Soda Bomb

Soda Bomb

Soda Bomb

Soda Bomb

Soda Bomb

Soda Bomb

Soda Bomb

Soda Bomb

Soda Bomb

Rozwell Kid

Rozwell Kid

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Rozwell Kid

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Rozwell Kid

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Rozwell Kid

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Diamond Youth

Diamond Youth

Diamond Youth

Diamond Youth

Diamond Youth

Diamond Youth

Diamond Youth

Diamond Youth

Diamond Youth

Diamond Youth

Superheaven

Superheaven

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Diamond Youth – Nothing Matters

Superheaven

Superheaven / Diamond Youth / Rozwell Kid — 2015 Tour Dates
Fri May 22 – Chicago, IL – The Beat Kitchen
Sat May 23 – Howell, MI – Bled Festv
Sun May 24 – St. Louis, MO – The Demo
Tues May 26 – Denver, CO – Hi Dive
Weds May 27 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Loading Dock
Thurs May 28 – Reno, NV – The Holland Project
Fri May 29 – Berkley, CA – 924 Gilman St
Sat May 30 – Echo Park, CA – The Echo
Sun May 31 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction
Tues June 2 – San Diego, CA – Voodoo Room
Weds June 3 – Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge
Thurs June 4 – El Paso, TX – Mesa Music Hall
Fri June 5 – Austin, TX – The Mohawk
Sat June 6 – Dallas, TX – Sons Of Hermann Hall
Mon June 8 – Atlanta, GA – Purgatory @ The Masquerade
Tues June 9 – Tampa, FL – Epic Problem
Weds June 10 – Margate, FL – O’Malley’s
Thurs June 11 – Orlando, FL – Backbooth
Fri June 12 – Jacksonville, FL – Burro Bar
Sat June 13 – Charlotte, NC – Casbah @ Tremont Music Hall
Sun June 14 – Richmond, VA – Strange Matter
Tues June 16 – Howell, NJ – Game Changer World
Weds June 17 – North Haven, CT – Up All Night Collective
Thurs June 18 – Washington, DC – DC9
Fri June 19 – Amityville, NY – Amityville Music Hall
Sat June 20 – Cambridge, MA – The Middle East
Sun June 21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Barbary