BV CMJ 2011 showcase @ MHOW w/ Braids, Active Child, Weekend, Pepper Rabbit & Blue Hawaii (pics)

October 24, 2011

Raphaelle Standell-Preston of Braids/Blue Hawaii @ MHoW

Like she was when in February, Canada’s Raphaelle Standell-Preston was fighting a cold when she returned to NYC to play the BrooklynVegan CMJ showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday night (10/21). That didn’t stop her from performing at the show twice though! Her electronic and atmospheric duo project Blue Hawaii bravely opened the show to the smallest audience of the night at 7pm (less than one hour after the BV day party at Public Assembly ended right next door). She then sang again at 10pm in Braids, but this time to the largest audience of the night. The room was packed to capacity as Braids performed their “absolutely beautiful” music. Seeming overwhelmed by their grand reception, Raphaelle thanked the crowd over and over as they ended their set and their tour with Pepper Rabbit who played at 8.

There’s a rumor that the BV showcase may have been Pepper Rabbit‘s last show ever. Hopefully that’s not true. To quote Hannah Angst, “Pepper Rabbit puts on an amazing show- I love when so few people can make that much noise.” Maria Sherman said that, “the best part of [the] pepper rabbit show [was] John Norris screaming every lyric.”

After Pepper Rabbit and before Braids, came Active Child who some say stole the show.

After Braids came the final set of the night, and that was from the great San Francisco post-punk band Weekend (I feel like it doesn’t need to be written anymore that Weekend is not to be confused with The Weeknd or Weekends, but at least one person asked me to clarify this weekend, so I think I should keep writing it). Metro.us saw Weekend and says:

Bringing your own lights is an effective move that makes you stand out from the thousand other bands. You can better capture what you know as the es-sence of your own music. Weekend brought three long red tube lights to put beside their instruments, evoking electric heaters, warming up their icy goth rock sound.

Those lights did look super cool as the band closed out the Friday night show on a very loud note.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by. Sorry if for some reason you couldn’t get in! More pictures below…