SILVERLAKE, CA- It’s good to finally get back to life before Covid! If there was one thing that I was really craving during the nearly year-long lockdown, it was being in a tightly packed room, standing and watching bands shred a stage. That need was fulfilled on June 30th, 2021 when Egg Drop Soup and Broken Baby sold out El Cid in Silverlake to celebrate the release of their split 7″.
I’ve got to admit, I was a little nervous attending the show. I’m vaccinated and all, but I was still a little hesitant because it had been such a long time since I’ve been in a crowd of people. My nerves, however, quickly settled when I started seeing familiar, mask-covered, faces enter the room. I’ve gotta admit… the feeling was good. That feeling of the familiar … a convergence of like-minded people who wanted to have music reinfiltrate their souls.
The first band to take the stage was the LA-based trio, MoonFuzz. This was my first time seeing Brandi (drums), Miranda (guitar), and Heaven (bass and lead vocals) perform live, and their neo-psychedelic-tinged rock was a real good appetizer for the evening.
The energy of this band was solid, and their dirty, raucous sound really got the blood in my veins pulsing. I was quite pleased that the second song in their set was “Vile” (which is the second track off their 2019 self-titled album) as that was a cut that I had recently added to one of my Spotify playlists. I love the way that song opens, lulling you into a mood with the drums, bass, and guitar gently stacking upon each other until Miranda and Brandi smash in with a powerful drum fill and fuzzy, frenetic guitar lick.
Their set included their latest single “Friendly Smiles” and a performance of an unreleased cut called “Lady Luck”, and each member had opportunities throughout the performance to shine: from Heaven’s subtle vocals and steady bass lines to Brandi’s tempered percussion to Miranda’s wild guitar solos. This band has been around since 2016, and I’m only now just getting familiar with their music. I’m gonna have to rectify that.
A band that I’m really high on is Broken Baby. Their live shows are guaranteed fun. Not only is their music incredibly catchy, but the energy with which they rock a stage, powered by their lead singer Amber Bollinger, is a force to be reckoned with. Whether she’s singing lyrics while sprawled across the stage, tying her shoes, or crawling on top of you, her charisma is undeniable,
Their side of the 7″ features two cuts: “Madonna’s a Dick” and “The Feelers”. In advance of the show, they released “Madonna’s a Dick” as a single, and in an interview with The Bucket Playlist they say that it’s a song about systemic sexism. Amber states:
“Commentators don’t like Madonna’s brashness, so she got labeled a bitch. It made me think, if she were a guy, “They’d probably give her a raise, she’d be the president of the United States”, which became the chorus.’
And that’s what I absolutely love about Broken Baby. While the sonics of their music is imbued with energetic, post-punk… even pop… enthusiasm, they’re always digging deeper into really heady topics that makes you want to bang your head just a little bit harder for them.
You may get a sense that I may have a slightly biased opinion about Broken Baby. Sue me. “Get the Piss Up” (<- the name of their newest single) and check them out.
A band that I’ve been tracking for the looooongest time is Egg Drop Soup. They had a handful of shows in early 2020 that I wanted to hit up, but prior obligations got in the way. During the lockdown, when streaming shows were en vogue, The6660s and The Satellite had them lined up for a live Instagram stream “Live In The Backyard: Six at Six” acoustic set. As soon as I saw their name on the schedule, I immediately reached out to see if I could photograph their acoustic performance. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quick enough, and someone else had already snagged the opportunity.
So when I say that I’ve been waiting forever to see this band perform live… I’m not exaggerating.
Egg Drop Soup is Sam Westervelt on bass and lead vocals, Olivia Saperstein on guitar and background vocals, and Bailey Chapman on drums, and they were terrific. Raw and unfiltered, their performance was unadulterated punk that really made the over year-long wait worth it. The music hit hard and heavy, and I loved it.
I thought I was familiar with their discography… at least what they have up on Spotify… but they played a bunch of songs that I hadn’t heard before, and it was almost like I was discovering them all over again.
Their side of the Egg Drop Soup/Broken Baby 7″ split included the cuts “Or Durves” and “Whiskey Priest”, both of which they performed during their set. I love “Or Durves”. It’s a short song, clocking in at only around two minutes, but its angst and tempo have you longing for more, and that’s a quality of a great jam.
The only other song I could recognize was their heavy grinder “P.M.S.” This live performance felt a lot heavier than the recording I’ve been streaming, and I had Samantha’s bassline literally setting the tempo of my pulse. It was loud and brash and reminded me that there’s nothing like seeing a band play a song live, in a packed venue, with all the dials turned up to 11.
I’m thankful that the concert scene is back. I’m thankful that I got a bunch of great acts to re-pop my concert cherry. Rock and roll, baby. Let’s keep it coming.
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