On a night of constant back-and-forth between venues, meeting new faces and failed Uber rides, what else could I have ended the night as but a jester?
The Garden, an experimental punk-electronic duo, performed at Stubb’s during this past Levitation season. If you are familiar with The Garden, you know the fashion and costume aspect of their show is EXTREMELY important. Among the sea of black clothing were painted jester faces and literal clown clothing. The fashion aspect of their shows is crucial to the fandom and everyone showed out.
To be transparent, I had only listened to a few Garden songs, those being “California Here We Go” and “Call This Number Now.” I had yet to experience any of their other music and, quite frankly, had no idea what their crowd was like. I tend to do this often, going to shows completely blindsided, which always seems to be low risk, high reward. But the circumstances were rather different this time. High risk, high reward.
Lingering near the tall tree at Stubb’s with a friend, The Garden electrified the venue by opening with “Filthy Rabbit Hole,” a song that moved me from the middle of the venue to somewhat closer than I could have imagined. Around me were smiles and movement everywhere. The song was the perfect choice to kick off what would be an otherwise stellar set.
Between the fourth and fifth songs, my friend Bella mentioned the idea of possibly going further into the crowd to get in on the moshing action. At first, I hesitated, but then “Ballet” played, and I immediately grabbed her hand and made our way to the pit. The best way to describe this song is as the perfect mix of electro-clash with subtle hints of techno. Somehow, in the chaos, I lost a treasured bangle of mine, which I am still missing to this day. But is it really a fun time if you don’t lose anything in the pit? As I am writing this, I am currently listening to the song and missing the feeling it gave me at the moment.. But rather than being in the pit, I am tapping my legs silently on a lecture chair.
Toward the middle of their set, The Garden had calmed the crowd a bit. It was a sweet, tender moment until the beginning of “Horseshit on Route 66” started playing. Everyone in proximity to me started screaming, and I was back in the wormhole of the pit. Around me, I saw a couple of fellow KVRX’ers enjoying their time. It was truly beautiful to see the energy from the crowd and how Wyatt and Fletcher Shears could, in one second, completely change the energy of the room through their music.
Right after the immense chaos, the funkiest and most peculiar beat I have heard in a while made me once again discreetly pull out my shazam app. I indeed did not find anything in the moment, until I went on another song shopping spree on Spotify. “5 Mile Ponytail” was the name of the song and quickly became one of my favorites because of its gritty and edgy sound. It’s a song that is so weird that you can’t stop humming it or thinking about its beat. There’s a freaky audio element that repeats throughout the song and somehow makes it so addictive. And, in the true nature of my writing, I am relistening to the song as I write this and reliving the experience all over again.
While I might have ended the night with lost jewelry, smeared makeup, and my bangs sweating off, the Gardens levitation show at Stubbs was truly one to experience. From the insane lighting visuals, to their supportive fanbase who have been dressing up for their shows since they started. I am thrilled I got to experience them live.
Image captured by Sofia Hernandez