Camp Cope at Warsaw
Camp Cope in 2019 (photo by Amanda M Hatfield)

Camp Cope, Thin Lips & Oceanator played Warsaw (pics, videos, review)

Australia’s Camp Cope are currently in North America on a lengthy headlining tour in support of their 2018 sophomore album How To Socialise & Make Friends, which was our #1 album of last year. The tour landed in Brooklyn last night (4/25) for a sold-out, AdHoc & BrooklynVegan-presented show at Warsaw.

Before Camp Cope played, singer Georgia Maq brought out Sachem HawkStorm, “the chief of the Schaghticoke First Nations and a direct descendant of the great Wampanoag Chief Wasanegin Massasoit,” to welcome Camp Cope to perform on the land of the Lenape peoples. (Sachem has done the same for Portugal. The Man in the past.) There was clearly mutual admiration all around, with Georgia seeming honored that Sachem joined them on stage and Sachem seeming very excited to introduce the band and flattered that Camp Cope made it a point to celebrate the indigenous people of the area. Once Sachem walked off stage, Georgia returned with her bandmates Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich and Sarah Thompson to play an hour-long set that pulled from both of their albums and included Georgia playing a new song solo (which was one of the most moving moments of the night). This time we got to hear “Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams,” which we were bummed to not get at their last NYC show. They sounded great the whole time, seemed thrilled to be there and to have enough support to headline a 1,000-person show miles away from home. The crowd (which included Jeff Rosenstock and at least one member of Portugal. The Man) responded all night by yelling along to nearly every song and cheering nonstop.

Besides the new song, Camp Cope had a few other surprises in store too, including bringing members of both opening bands on stage during their set. They brought out Thin Lips singer Chrissy Tashjian and current Thin Lips touring members Lauren Adams and Lou Hanman (Caves, ex-RVIVR) to gather ’round a mic and sing backup harmonies on “Flesh and Electricity,” and they brought out Elise Okusami of Oceanator — who was the opener of the show — to play guitar on set-closer “The Opener,” giving Georgia the chance to just sing and get into full punk frontwoman mode, stalking the stage and dancing. It was an awesome way to end the night.

Thin Lips‘ set was also awesome and a great match for Camp Cope. They played stuff off their just-released Carrot Milk EP (or, as Chrissy calls it, “glorified demo”) as well as older faves, but the very best moment of the night was “South America” from last year’s Chosen Family. With both Lou Hanman and Lauren Adams joining Thin Lips’ Chrissy Tashjian and Kyle Pulley on the song’s first-raising chorus, it sounded more massive than ever.

Check out pictures of all three bands in the gallery above, and Camp Cope’s setlist, along with video clips of them performing “The Opener,” below.

Setlist: Camp Cope @ Warsaw, 4/25/2019
Keep Growing
How to Socialise & Make Friends
The Face of God
Done
UFO Lighter
Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams
New Song – Georgia solo
Flesh and Electricity (with Thin Lips)
Stove Lighter
Lost (Season One)
The Opener (with Oceanator)