Screaming Females Played Villain with Moor Mother and Little Waist, 11/5/16

Screaming Females

Pleasant Surprise

A few months ago, I saw Screaming Females' tour announcement go by and grabbed tickets for their Brooklyn show at Market Hotel. It really must have been a while ago because I was totally surprised when I got the notification from Ticketfly -- less than 24 hours before I should be heading up to Brooklyn -- telling me that the show had been moved to Villain.

As I sat at dinner with the CoolFamily in Red Bank on Saturday night, I kind of resigned myself to staying local for the evening. Maybe that last bite of cannoli gave me a second wind or something because, after I downed it and swigged my final sip of coffee, I decided I couldn't miss this one. I dropped everyone at home; grabbed my camera; kissed them goodbye; and hit the road.

Villain is a big, warehouse-like space on North 3rd St. in Williamsburg. I got inside just as Little Waist, the project of Audrey Zee Whitesides, were finishing their set. The place was already filling up at this point, and I didn't fight my way up front for pictures. The band's combination of power pop and punk, though, was right in my wheelhouse; and I regretted not making the call to head up earlier.

Screaming Females' touring partner, Philadelphia's Moor Mother, aka Camae Ayewa, took the stage next. Ayewa's brand of rap, poetry, noise is visceral, confrontational, and educational.

Moor Mother

"I need more bass!" And the beats pummeled me in the chest.

At times, Ayewa tried egging some more energy out of the crowd, chiding us that crowds in Nebraska had raged more than we were. Ayewa finished the set by climbing down into the pit and surfing the crowd. That whipped a good portion of the folks up front into kind of a frenzy.

Physical copies of Moor Mother's Fetish Bones sold out sometime before the tour made its way to Brooklyn, but you can still check it out on Bandcamp.

Moor Mother

I'd slid alongside the throng and climbed up on a bit of concrete riser just outside the fray. It was a good way to see and shoot everything, but I feel like my pictures got a little samey after a while. I stayed there as I waited for Screaming Females to start their set.

Once they did start, the crowd -- primed and ready following the end of Moor Mother's set -- went absolutely nuts. I watched while standing on my little cinder block platform thankful that I wasn't in my usual spot right up front this time. People crowdsurfed almost from the beginning, a few landing at Marissa Paternoster's or King Mike's feet on the stage. A few times, Paternoster asked -- very politely -- that people remain mindful of others' boundaries and personal space. I guess it worked a little.

Screaming Females

The band tore through their set; and, I have to say, they've just gotten better and better over the five years that I've been going to their shows. The embellishments and interludes they've added to songs like "It All Means Nothing" are show highlights now.

After about the third song, Paternoster asked that we put our "big fancy cameras" away. I wish more bands would do that. I know I could just stop shooting, but it isn't easy. My OCD needs something like a request or a rule to quiet down and allow me to enjoy the show without taking pics.

Marissa Paternoster

So I watched most of the remainder of the show from my spot along the wall, camera safely tucked away in my bag; and I was just blown away. I eventually wove my way back towards the rear and, from there, I watched the band's sprawling live version of "Criminal Image." Screaming Females are up there among the best live bands going right now, and you have to go see them if you get a chance.

My samey pics from the evening are up in the Flickr galleries and on the Facebook page.