Before acts foreign & domestic head to Austin for South-by-Southwest (QRO preview), they hit up New York City for the Lower East Side’s New Colossus Festival, Wednesday-Sunday, March 6th-10th.

Click here for QRO’s recap of Thursday at New Colossus 2024

Groover showcase @ Rockwood Music Hall

Zola

For at least once at New Colossus, ‘mixer’ included an actual open bar, thanks to Groover and Rockwood Music Hall (QRO venue review) – special thanks to the bartender for letting your correspondent know…). Also again had free Perfect Picnic sandwiches. And to start the showcase was sweet San Francisco girl Zola, who brought her own violin player.

Showcase @ Berlin

DD Island

The NYC local four-piece DD Island can go full power-pop when they want to. But they like to trade among different genres within the hi-fi garage or lo-fi rock universe. If you thought you heard country notes earlier in the set, your intuition was fully realized when they pulled out the lap steel later on. Something about lap steel (or pedal steel, whatever you like) that brings the swagger. No bravado in this crew, though – a nice quartet of gentlemen with music to share with the world.

Programmique

Programmique is not a word as far as the power of online dictionaries can decipher (the French ‘programmatique’ is the closest out there). It’s a band, though. A three-piece that mixes jazz intent, post-punk art-core textures, and mathy structures. The drummer uses jazz handling, which always classes up a rock ensemble. Shades of Devo meets Black Beach meets Horse Lords. Good stuff, though the heavily-stylized execution can sometimes make you feel like you’re listening to the same track on repeat.

Focus Wales showcase @ Piano’s

Yo Diablo

So, no POSTDATA? Apparently Paul Murphy called in sick, so instead was the fun guitar-and-drums duo Yo Diablo from Spain in the main room of Piano’s (QRO venue review).

Teddy Hunter

Upstairs at Piano’s, Focus Wales came from Wrexham (made famous by Welcome To Wrexham) to New Colossus. They’ve been quite active in bringing acts from Welsh Country, not just at fests but even when Wales played USA in the World Cup (QRO photos). And two of their artists, Teddy Hunter and Minas, came to NYC. Hunter brought in ethereal sounds, and also went into the crowd at the end [startling QRO’s own Ted – no dy…]. Meanwhile, Minas owned the floor, with the spitting angry action of the likes of Sleaford Mods or IDLES – “Are You Okay U.K.

Minas

Indie Pop showcase @ Arlene’s Grocery

The National Honor Society

The National Honor Society rolled into Arlene’s Grocery with ‘NHS’ pins on their guitar straps like they were British leftists trying to make a point. Entirely possible at an international showcase like The New Colossus Festival. But no, not so much, not the case. This band is a four-piece from Seattle that kicks out hummable Aughts-era indie rock. Shout out to the Stone Roses cover. “Mersey Paradise”? And extra points for the three guitarists up front rocking three of the all-time great electric guitars: a Telecaster, Jaguar, and Jazzmaster. Fenders all of them, start to finish.

Did some stage banter mention that there had been a fistfight at the venue earlier in the evening? The venerable indie rock hole-in-the-wall (QRO venue review) is not normally a place for throwing down, though sometimes it’s a place for throwing up. Since 1995, serving up cheap booze and cheaper music. A lot of little details avail themselves to the trained eye, like the drumstick wedged above a pipe over the stage, anchoring an ambient mic suspended from above. It’s the kind of quick fix that was jury-rigged 30 seconds before the start of some long forgotten show, and then remained in place for a decade and counting. If it ain’t broke…

Paper Lady

Boston’s Paper Lady is a noisy rock n’ roll outfit, by the way. Layers and layers of moody texture wafting up from the strings of the guitars and keys of the synth. Pathos, gravitas, in vino veritas, sit vis nobiscum. After the spritely indie rock rhythms of NHS, the room might not have been quite ready for the level up in intensity. But the guitarist and lead vocalist Alli Raina has a way of bringing the room with her.

Showcase @ Mercury Lounge

Sub*T

The relatively biggest venue at New Colossus was Mercury Lounge (QRO venue review), which has survived the rise & fall of music venues on the Lower East Side by going more up-market & industry. That meant that it could hold some of the biggest crowds of this festival, for the energetic one-two of Sub*T and Ultra Q, who both had big fans & big audiences.

Ultra Q