Words by Audra Tracy | Photo by Patrick Lacey
The Orwells sold out their show at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn last night, but honestly, they couldn’t care less. It was Game 7 of the World Series dammit, and the Chicago-based rockers were hellbent on watching the Cubs break a century-old curse.
As fans filled the tiny, 280 capacity venue, a large fabric screen draped over the room’s signature wall of lights, projecting a few minutes of the baseball game before the band begrudgingly took the stage. Even if The Orwells were a bit distracted, the crowd didn’t seem to mind one bit – they were ready to let loose.
Decked out in a little black dress, unhinged frontman Mario Cuomo sauntered on stage, his blue eyes bulging maniacally at his audience. The rest of the band appeared pretty tame in comparison as the show got underway, holding down those garage punk rhythms as Cuomo writhed around like a mental patient.
Soon the room erupted to the saloon singalong, “Southern Comfort”, and like a Pavlovian reflex, the audience’s animal instincts kicked right in. Heads banged, beers sloshed, bodies surfed, and the timid feared for their lives. From there The Orwells filled out their short set with a few more fan favorites including “Dirty Sheets”, “Mallrats (La La La)”, and “Who Needs You”, which culminated with Cuomo diving headfirst into the mob he had so gleefully incited.
After a quick encore, the Chicago five scurried to the restaurant next door, anxiously hovering around a tiny television to catch the rest of Game 7. Hopefully they put some money on the Cubbies.
The Orwells are set to release a new album, Terrible Human Beings, in 2017.
www.theorwells.com
TheWaster.com | Williamsburg
11.03.16
