It was a warm Spring evening in the East Village as we approached the legendary nightclub Webster Hall. It brought me back to 1996 when Webster Hall was the cool club (weekdays). After many years of transformations and re-openings, Webster Hall seems to have re-established itself as a live music institution. On this night, we’ve come to hear some local NYC talent, and we did not leave disappointed.

Upon arriving, Mannequin Pussy was deep in their set of indie, psychedelia rock which caught our attention. They’ve recently become a three piece band, but you wouldn’t know it. Their sound was full and strong for the few songs we heard to close their set. Up next, the headline act and NYC based, Sunflower Bean.

We were eager to hear Sunflower Bean and their quite diverse catalog of music including songs from their recently released album, “Headful of Sugar,” which has received high praise from critics. The band opened the show with the powerful title track from the album which gave the room a lift with its driving yet rhythmic pumping beat. It definitely set the tone for the show. The second song, “In Flight” was a bit more pop leaning with somewhat of a 90’s vibe. I heard some Sheryl Crow and Wallflowers similarities. The band was not afraid to show their diversity early in the set which I could appreciate. There’s nothing worse than a flat set of music that all sounds the same! The next song, “twentytwo,” which lead singer Julia Cumming explained is a very special song. It started out like a ballad with a deep focus on her vocal talents. She poured her energy into it and clearly “twentytwo” has a special personal meaning to Julia. She shared how growing up down the street from Webster Hall and headlining the show was a dream come true for her.

At this point, the fans were fully engaged and responding to Julia’s high energy and encouragement. She had them right where she wanted them. Next up, was “Otherside,” with a lush sound and warm vocals it built up nicely with the drums and guitar kicking in to take it home. If you were unsure if the band was rock n’ roll or not, you found out when they played “Roll the Dice.” The track beckons back to 90’s rock with heavy bass and drums through the chest. With that said, they quickly pivoted with “Baby Don’t Cry,” a REAL crowd pleaser. You can’t help but think of No Doubt and Gwen Stefani, but make no mistake this song has serious popular potential.

Some other highlights include “Who Put You Up To This” with its catchy lyrics and grooves and “Beat the Odds.” Overall, it was an enjoyable show, and it was impressive to see a band work their way through a diverse set of songs with such success. That’s not easy to do. If you have a chance to see the band live, make sure you check them out.