If you exist anywhere in the alternative music scene, you’ve surely heard of Geese by now. With their new album Getting Killed earning them the title of “America’s Most Thrilling Young Rock Band” in an article for GQ Magazine, and Pitchfork calling the album one of the “best, strangest, and most compelling rock records of the year”, the Brooklyn-based band of young musicians have been launched into the limelight. The burning question on many listeners' minds: are they really worth the hype? After attending their Austin show on November 5th at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater, we mulled it over, and have come to a final conclusion– Absolutely, they are.
Geese originally planned to play at Scoot Inn, but after the viral explosion of their new album, they had to upgrade to a larger space. Entering the venue, we were struck by the huge crowd, particularly in how they did not fit any one genre of concertgoers. People from all corners of Austin had shown up, young and old: the mustache-touting “hip” millennials holding plastic cups of overpriced beer, the oldheads who had probably all attended Rolling Stones’ concerts once upon a time, the teenagers with baggier jeans than you thought possible, and even the occasional family, brought together by their shared love for the up-and-coming musicians. We settled in happily to the amalgam of kind Austinites, and on came the first bird-themed performer of the night: Dove Ellis. The Irish performer played his lulling tunes, some backed by an alto saxophone, and multiple concertgoers remarked how they liked his Thom Yorke-esque voice. As we neared the end of his set, it was obvious everyone was anxiously preparing for Geese. More and more people pushed past us, crowding the already crowded front section of the pit even more. We wanted to be upset, but deep down we understood. Nobody wanted to miss out on seeing what was about to take place up close with their own two eyes.
The members of Geese met loud cheers as they entered a fog-filled stage and began with the intense, driving drumbeat of “Husbands”. Cameron Winter’s entrancing voice cut through the venue, ever increasing the crowd’s excitement for what was to come. They continued on with songs from the new release, including “Cobra” and “Islands of Men”, as well as a couple hits from their previous album, 3D Country, such as “I See Myself”. The audience was full of some of the most die-hard fans I’ve ever seen at a concert: everyone truly knew all the lyrics, no matter how popular or unpopular each song they played was. However, there were a few standout moments. When they played “Taxes”, the entire crowd connected in a moment unlike anything we’d seen before. Preparing for the beautiful eruption of sound that follows the second verse, everyone urged each other to kneel in a domino effect that made its way across the entire crowd. When the notorious melody took over, everyone jumped back up together in an explosion that I’m sure was felt from blocks away.
At the end of their set, the members walked off nonchalantly without so much as a goodbye. It was obvious they were coming back- After just less than a minute of the crowd rambunctiously chanting “Geese”, the band bashfully returned as if this was the first time an encore had been
asked of them. Only one song seemed fitting to play them out, the one everyone had been waiting for all night: “Trinidad”. A tune in which half the lyrics consist of Winter concerningly
singing, “There’s a bomb in my car.” The repetition was so effective, I, for one, felt compelled to hire a bomb squad. “Trinidad” being the band’s most mosh-able song, the crowd went wild. They left it all out on the uneven Stubb’s dirt. A gaping hole opened up in the front of the crowd as the song started, concertgoers preparing for the moshpit chaos to ensue. The sound that followed was tense and volatile, like it could fall apart with any second, yet deliberate. The crowd seemed to sense that too- they quickly filled that gaping hole, bodies flailing, crowd surfing, shoving in time with the beat. When the song finally ended, everyone was still buzzing, drenched in sweat and shouting for more, but this time the show was sadly over.
As the lights came up and people began filling out, the energy lingered. Groups were finding each other again, retelling favorite moments, laughing, and discussing the chaos they’d just survived. The resounding statement I heard from everyone in the crowd was, “That was insane.” Everyone spilled back into the city night, pleased with the band’s authentic and impressive performance.
We went into the show careful to keep our expectations in check, as we’d seen mixed reviews of their past live performances. However, there must have been something in the Austin air that night, because they absolutely demolished the Stubb’s stage. It was a glorious night full of dancing and screaming that we’re still dreaming about.