The Big Pink

Mercury Lounge
New York City
Words & Photos by Abbey Braden

We’ve heard rumblings from our UK side about the brilliance of the Big Pink for ages. However it wasn’t til we were tempted by a secret showcase on the Lower East Side that we stopped in our tracks to give them a proper listen – literally – because we couldn’t fit through the damn door. Getting paralyzed at a gig is a rare occurence at the venue. As a result the extreme bottleneck left us with only flashes of strobelights grazing over people’s heads for visuals. In retrospect perhaps this was ideal, as it allowed us to stand in one place to absorb the raw sounds the band was unleashing. After a few minutes we wriggled into a better spot (venue trick – dip low, right shoulder forward, pop up after the sound booth, and hug the wall stage left til you get to the front) only to be greeted by Robbie and Milo’s chest punching reverb. Amazing. Now about that album release date 4AD… we’ll take that review copy off your hands anytime.