World/Inferno — Teaneck, NJ, and the new Brooklyn residency
I move to New York and my favorite (local) New York band starts playing an INSANE amount of shows. The World/Inferno Friendship Society seems to play a few times a year unless they’re touring, say, in California like they did back in 2016. But as the Concert Fairy, I guess my timing couldn’t be better, and I got three shows in two weeks before they announced a mini tour through the Northeast.
Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck NJ — 1/20/19
The first show World/Inferno announced they would be playing in 2019 was at Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck, New Jersey. Just a little bar in middle of nowhere Jersey. I took a bus from Penn Station in NYC with my friend Whitney, who had arranged a ride for us back to the city at the end of the night.
There was no coatcheck at Debonair, so our whole group just piled our winter coats (it was FREEZING outside) in a pile on the floor. I only wore leggings and shorts because I knew I’d regret jeans at the show, but I about froze to death on the walk over from where the bus dropped us off.
The openers were Frankly Lost, The Angry Pirates, Don’t Upset the Bear, and Old Currents. I could not tell ya which was which.
We mostly just drank and chilled until Inferno came on. I did a whiskey shot and asked the bartender for a gingerback. She poured me an entire cup of ginger ale. I think she was confused.
Eventually Inferno came on.
This was the first show I saw without Sandra on bass or Jess (/Mora) on drums. It was weird and made me a little sad. All the band members but frontman Jack Terricloth change, and I’m sure they weren’t the first lineup changes I’ve been in this scene for, but I always really loved both of them. Feels like a new era now.
Doug: “You move to New York and now Inferno’s playing a show a week.”
Me: “I’m magic!”
We’re pretending I made this happen. I think Doug thinks it actually DID happen because of me. I mean maybe? I’m not sure how that works, but I will gladly take credit for it.
Everyone was talking about the “secret show” that Tuesday at El Cortez in Brooklyn. We think it was only a secret until after this show because they were afraid no one would show up to the middle of nowhere Jersey show if we knew there would be one in Brooklyn two days later.
“Remember that time they played a show so secret no one showed up?”
“There are only six of us. Why would they play a secret show?”
Tattoos Fade
Fiend in Wien
Just the Best Party
Me v the Angry Mob
We always throw confetti during “Your Younger Man” and someone was prepared and brought some in case they played it. I guess someone asked the venue and was told that confetti is an automatic ban?
Susanna: “They can’t ban 40 of us.”
There was definitely confetti during this song, but I wasn’t given any, so Josh came around with bar napkins for us to rip up. Throwback to the show at Thee Parkside in San Francisco a few years ago.
This was the first time I saw this one live (I think). It was awesome. It’s the first song off their first album, The True Story of the Bridgewater Astral League.
Velocity of Love
Thumb Cinema
I Wouldn’t Want to Live in a World Without Grudges
Paul Robeson
Cats Are Not Lucky Creatures
Jack: “I like this song.”
Scott: “The only song Jack likes is ‘Cats.'”
My Ancestral Homeland, New Jersey
Politics of Passing Out
Let’s Steal Everything
Brother of the Mayor of Bridgewater
Jeffrey Lee
Only Anarchists Are Pretty
Heart Attack ’64
“Heart Attack” is the song we always grab a partner and waltz to. I was afraid no one was gonna ask me to waltz, but then a girl did. A dude tried to trade partners with us mid-song and I was like “but why?”
Zen and the Art of Breaking Everything in this Room
Jack: “What song do you want to hear that we haven’t played yet?”
Me: “Zen!”
Okay, but obviously, right? Tbh I wanted to hear “Second Chance Saloon” but I love “Zen” too.
El Cortez, Brooklyn — 1/22/19
El Cortez is a tiny tiny bar, super skinny with tables alongside the edge that made it kinda hard to dance in. It was right around the corner from Kerrang!’s office, where Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria had just been interviewed. I dragged my friend Devin with me after the interview, and he was super excited about it.
Good thing about El Cortez: they had frozen drinks and french fries. That’s all I need in life.
I had a bit of an adrenaline rush after Kerrang! and walked to the venue without a jacket on. I regretted it while drinking said frozen drink outside on the balcony. Whoops.
Devin and I missed all the openers. I couldn’t even tell ya who they were.
I lost Devin during “Tattoos Fade.” Apparently he met nerdcore rapper Mega Ran’s manager and went to the back of the venue to talk to him for a bit. That’s pretty cool. I guess he spent the rest of the show up front on the right side of the stage, but I was mostly either on the left or dancing in the pit, so I couldn’t find him.
There were two human pyramids during “Me v. Angry Mob.” I got on the top of one of them. This was my first time on top of a human pyramid. Goals! I was so excited, even though I fell almost immediately after getting up there. Did I touch the ceiling? I think so. It’s a small venue.
I got real hot and real tired in that tiny little space.
Doug said Devin would get first dibs waltzing with me during “Heart Attack ’64,” but of course I couldn’t find him anywhere, so Doug danced with me instead. He said we can practice and maybe one day do the jump from dirty dancing. Oh hell yes.
Jack: “Where’d my whiskey go? Did I give it to the crowd? That’s something I would do.”
Jack crowdsurfed during “Zen and the Art of Breaking Everything in this Room” and kissed a fan in the air who was also crowdsurfing. Beautiful.
I finally found Devin again after the show.
Devin: “Biz would’ve loved this.”
Me: “I KNOW. I’ve been trying to get him to come for years.”
Devin: “Anyone who likes Coheed pits would love this. Niki would too.”
He also got me a setlist. How friggin sweet.
El Cortez, Brooklyn — 2/10/19
This was the weirdest, most hilarious show I have ever seen.
Inferno was supposed to go on at 10. Jack just casually strolls in the bar around 10:40. Okay, I guess we’re running on punk time on a Sunday night.
It was much less packed than the last show at El Cortez.
Before the band started, Scott and Josh were talking about Inferno Purgatory, and how if you’re sent there, you’re stuck with Jack onstage singing “Dolce” over and over and over until you teach him the words.
“Is it actually Jack trapped in there with you or some version of Jack that will never learn the words?”
“It’s the same thing! He’s one person!”
Like the second song of the night was “Weimarer Republik.” Jack got screwed up on the second verse when the crowd was still singing “Ohhhh”s and he was ready for lyrics, so he just gave up entirely and jumped into the crowd to dance. He hardly even attempted the rest of the song.
Whitney the next day: “Well two songs in Jack completely forgot the words to ‘Weimar’ so he just jumped into the crowd and danced around for an entire verse and then got back onstage, said ‘I feel like Diana Ross tonight,’ and sang a verse of ‘Can’t Hurry Love‘ before finally attempting ‘Weimar.’ So that basically set the tone for the evening.”
After the “Weimar” incident, he kinda just gave up on the rest of the show and forgot and/or screwed up MOST of the songs they played. It was beautiful. I laughed SO MUCH.
He introduced this song as “Ballerinas Are Too Skinny” and I was confused because I’m like… 90% sure it’s called “The Models and the Mannequins.”
Accordionist Matt Dallow disappeared mid-set NEVER TO RETURN. The band sang/chanted “Dallow Dallow Dallow” at first thinking he’d come back soon, but eventually they decided he must have died and started auctioning off his instruments. Welp lol.
Bassist Gina Rodriguez also seemed MUCH more talkative than she had at the previous two shows. She was talking about beating some girl up on the balcony.
Gina about Dallow: “Maybe he’s afraid I’m gonna beat him up.”
Also: “Did I beat him up? I black out when I drink, maybe I blacked out and beat him up.”
And: “He’s dead. He died.”
I stupidly decided to get on the second level of the human pyramid during “Me v. Angry Mob” and immediately became a Lindsay pancake. Lol whoops.
When Jack started running low on whiskey, someone in the crowd bought him a full bottle of wine, which he then passed around to all the band members as he introduced them.
It finally hit me then how much of the band changed since I first started seeing them four years ago.
Someone crowdsurfing almost knocked over the speakers on the ceiling, as well as a projector on the ceiling.
This Packed Funeral:
Jack: “Yell ‘Flirting!'”
Me: “With disaster?”
Jerusalem Boys:
Jack: “I’m gonna yell some nonsense and you guys will sing along.”
Scott: “So like every other song?”
Go Faster Think Better:
Jack: “Oh it’s the song I don’t know the words to.”
Scott: “That’s all of them.”
Dude in the front: “It’s only four words!”
Basically it was just the funniest, most ridiculous show I’ve ever seen. I love them so much. This was a perfect reminder why I love them so much.
And this is only the beginning, my friends. They’ve announced shows everywhere from Brooklyn to Rhode Island over the next few months. Here’s hoping I find a way to all of them. I’m pretty stoked.
