Infectious pop-duo POWERS headline the NYLON Music Tour with opener James Hersey.
The moments before a band starts their set can tell you a lot about the group, and this time, it can best be told in a remake of “The First Day of Christmas:”
On the first notes of POWERS, the Marlin Room gave to me:
10 People cheering
9 iPhones filming
8 People on couches
7 Neon letters
6 People on stage
5 Disco Balls
4 Fans in shirts
3 Camera guys
2 Bandmates
1 Pop duo
And a singer rocking red leather pants!
And that was just during the mic check.
POWERS headlined the NYLON Music Tour with opener James Hersey and put their technical and musical spectacle to the test at the Marlin Room on Thursday March 23rd. During the shows unexpected moments, such as guitar solos, outfits, and a stripped down song, no one could deny the power of POWERS.
First impressions are important, and it seems like POWERS teaches the master class. Not only were they helping set up their gear, and had a corresponding neon sign set up, but their outfits spoke volumes about their creativity and eccentricity. The first public image of POWERS on Thursday came with…well… a t shirt that said Public Image: Christa Ru rocked that Public Image crop top, along with a choker, red leather pants and matching red hair. The drummer rocked some overalls while Mike Del Rio, Christa’s partner in crime, sported glasses and earrings, the former of which came off for a few songs.
The other first impression of the NYLON show came from impressive opener James Hersey. Featuring his hit “Miss You,” an surprising and strong solo from his drummer, and powerful fills from his guitarist, Hersey delighted the early crowd with his original tunes that sounded like Ed Sheeran mixed with a little Jason Mraz. By the time he was done and the disco balls lit up, he had gained more fans in the room who headed back to the merch table to snap up the shirts that Hersey had designed himself.
“It feels good to be home,” POWERS cooed after their opening number. The musical math of POWERS is Daft Punk meets LFO. Their newest release Man on the Moon feels like a missed opportunity for the 50 Shades of Grey Soundtrack (it even has the perfect line: Living where the black meets the blue). Mike jumped on a platform for “Man on the Moon,” gracing the Marlin Room with an extensive guitar solo that rocked the venue.
Their dance song “Hot,” which features strobing in the music video, had a matched look in person as strobes lit up the Marlin Room. With each beat, the floor of the Marlin Room shifted in time.
POWERS’ website and Twitter handle is “Give Me Powers.” But with this show at the Marlin Room, it’s fairly obvious that they already have them.
Check out the upcoming NYLON tour dates here: http://www.nylon.com/articles/nylon-music-tour-powers-bridgit-mendler-announcement
