The Hourly Radio @ Luna Lounge: See The Lights That Have Guided Me

Jen: Last night, Matt and I ventured into the burgeoning South Williamsburg (is that what we are calling this area?) to see for the fourth time, one of our favourite acts, The Hourly Radio, and check out the newly renovated Luna Lounge. The Luna really surpassed my expectations. The space is very large with the perfect amount of tables and seating. The bar is equally as huge, a fact which makes me rather happy with (joy!) barstools. The upcoming shows the venue has booked, unfortunately, don't really match the amount of people the room holds. Hopefully, this won't be discouraging to bands when they get up on stage and see a half empty crowd, hopefully it wasn't discouraging to the bands last night.

And now, I am sitting here trying to figure out how not to sound gushy when talking about The Hourly Radio, but it is proving difficult. What really should be said about the band is that they put on one of the most well thought out, consistently beautiful and compelling shows I have seen. Though last night we were not treated to the usual fog and coloured lights, THR did reveal a new light pattern that was designed to match their music- it was throughly gorgeous.

Their set included all of our favourites from the album, ending with 'Crime does pay' and 'Deaf ears.' The crowd was also treated to a new song, which certainly fit within their vein of dark, post-rock, dance, drum-driven songs but had a slightly poppier feel to it.

There is a reason we keep coming back to this band, folks. Go see them while you can. Full tour dates here.

Matt: With fond memories of early gigs from The Kick, Mooney Suzuki and most notably, Stellastarr*, Jen and I headed to Luna Lounge - the Brooklyn version, that is. For those unfamiliar, Luna Lounge was a Lower East Side haven for unsigned bands in the late '90s and early parts of this decade. After the announcement that the venue would be closing in exchange for a high-rise apartment complex, Luna Lounge became a distant memory.

Last month, after many spiralling rumors, Luna Lounge found its new home on Metropolitan Ave in Williamsburg. While the capacity of the former Luna was in the neighborhood of 200 people, the new Luna is enormous in comparison, with a standing room that holds nearly 600 concert goers. What better way to check out the new space, then by witnessing another stellar show from one of our favorite acts, The Hourly Radio.

Opening with History Will Never Hold Me's instrumental 'Travelsigns', I knew the set was going to be brilliant, and it was. Highlighting nearly all of their debut (and one new track), The Hourly Radio lit Brooklyn on fire.

Even though Jen, Skye and myself have all seen The Hourly Radio multiple times, their sets never grow old. Their live shows are instantly memorable, intense and fearless. Taking the best parts from '80s moody/dark alternative (think Cure/Psych Furs/Joy Division) and melding it with modern layering and passionate vocals (a la Interpol), the combination is undeniably sensational.

The band will be touring all over the country for the next month or so (check out the tour dates and ALL of The Hourly Radio coverage since the beginning right here!) and I can't urge you enough to shell out the cover charge and SEE The Hourly Radio! They're simply remarkable.


The final band of the night was The GoStation. That's all.