In the push to promote their newest album, sweet Scottish rockers Frightened Rabbit shifted the band’s live focus to a more bold, full sound, and their performance at Terminal 5 gave every indication that this band is about to leave their current level of popularity in the dust. Lead singer Scott Hutchison still oozes emotion in the small and quiet moments, but when the band spread the musical load six (and sometimes seven) musicians wide, a whole new world of possibility opened up.

Frightened Rabbit

PHOTOS BY ERICA LIVOTI

In their increasingly grand return to touring, Circa Survive has been relentless in their performances, but also in giving their fans their money’s worth. This time around they loaded the bill with must-see live act Minus the Bear, a supporting act so good that it could have warranted a co-headlining spot, and the on-the-rise Now, Now, whose sweet hazy sound is winning over all sorts of different audiences opening for bands from Circa Survive to rock legend Bob Mould.

Circa Survive

Minus the Bear

Now, Now

PHOTOS BY ERICA LIVOTI

When Taking Back Sunday’s original lineup reunited, it didn’t take them long to guarantee that it wasn’t just a one-off novelty of an event. To back that up, they wrote/recorded/released an entirely new album together, and then also announced something that basically everyone was hoping for – a ten-year anniversary tour for Tell All Your Friends. The sold-out tour eventually made its way back home to the east coast, including a stop at Long Island’s newest premiere venue, The Paramount.

Taking Back Sunday

Bayside

Life Between Sleep

PHOTOS BY ERICA LIVOTI

There’s no better musical breath of fresh air than a band that seems to transcend genres, and one of the best groups doing that these days are the funk party rockers of Bad Rabbits. If you can go to one of their shows and not crack a smile or stay still during the set, you deserve a medal (a medal awarded for killing the vibe, but a medal no less). At Ollie’s Point in Long Island, they filled the bill with a wide variety of local flavor, including NGHBRS, Life Between Sleep, and former Envy on the Coast frontman Ryan Hunter’s new project, Quiett Dog.

Bad Rabbits

NGHBRS

Life Between Sleep

Quiett Dog

PHOTOS BY ERICA LIVOTI

Hailing from Seattle, the sweet-sounding folk rockers The Head and the Heart have seen their popularity shoot sky-high since they burst on the scene with their self-titled debut LP in 2011. Their first few tours, mostly as support for bands like Dr. Dog, helped turn fans on to their sound, but they quickly became the headliners and needed to expand past the 10 songs they had recorded so far. At Terminal 5 they finally showed off some of their new sound by actually picking up – gasp! – a few electric guitars, much to the delight of the sold out room. And if the louder, more driving and catchy sound was any indication, the band’s rise won’t be stopping any time soon.

The Head and the Heart

PHOTOS BY ERICA LIVOTI

Continuing their relentless touring of 2011′s Odd Soul, Mutemath brought Canon Blue out to a sold out Best Buy Theater for another one of their trademark high-energy shows. Armed with confetti, dizzying multi-colored lights, and yes – his keytar – Paul Meany and the band put on a hell of a show, and our Erica Livoti was there to shoot it.

Mutemath

Canon Blue

PHOTOS BY ERICA LIVOTI

In just the first few weeks of its existence, The Paramount has quickly become the most talked-about venue on Long Island, and apparently for good reason. Not only have they hosted an absurdly wide range of events so far (ranging from boxing matches to Elvis Costello), everyone who goes there seems to have their own glowing review of the venue itself. The most heartening thing to see for us, however, is that the theatre is already aiming at a younger audience by bringing in acts the size of All Time Low, which shows that The Paramount is ready to take advantage of the total lack of mid-to-large sized venues on Long Island. Luckily for us, Melissa Terry was on hand to take some amazing photos that help mark the start of this new era.

All Time Low

PHOTOS BY MELISSA TERRY

Whether you want to call it swag, self-confidence, chutzpah, or by any other name, one thing’s for certain: Maja Ivarsson’s got it. The Sounds’ lead singer showed it off at Webster Hall on Saturday night to a sold-out crowd that was hungry for every wild scream and high-heeled stomp that Ivarsson could produce. For well over an hour the Swedish group entertained their fans through a haze of smoke, one part machine-made and one part from Ivarsson’s chain-smoking.

They offered tracks from across their four-album history, but the most striking part of the performance was the band’s energy and fan interaction. The barrier set up in front of the stage was a small obstacle that hardly stopped the band from reaching out to their supporters, stirring the crowd like they were stoking a coal fire on a locomotive. That constant provocation turned the front half of the room into a frenzy of outstretched arms all trying to connect with any one of the band members. As if she was rewarding them, that collective wish was fulfilled and exceeded en masse at the end of the set when not only did Ivarsson leap onto the crowd, she also invited a hundred or so of those devotees on stage for an enc0re-capping dance party so big you could hardly make out the small frame of her enormous presence.

The Sounds

PHOTOS & WORDS BY SEAN O’KANE

Less Than Jake has never been a band that follows trends of any kind.  Over the years they have taken risks other bands would never consider – this summer they even released their newest EP Greetings from Less Than Jake without any publicity. On Saturday night the Gainesville, Florida ska punks took to the open seas (well, the Hudson River) as part of the Rocks Off concert cruise series, and played one of their most influential albums – 1998’s Hello Rockview - from start to finish.

As “Last One Out of Liberty City Burn it to the Ground” echoed through the PA system and Roger Manganelli’s bass line kicked in, the crowd immediately starting skanking and singing along and kept up the energy level for the next hour and a half. The band quickly blasted through the album, which includes fan favorites like “History of a Boring Town” and “Scott Farcas Takes it on the Chin,” and even included the bonus track “I Think I Love You” (a Partridge Family cover) which wasn’t available on the US edition of Hello Rockview.

The close quarters of the Queen of Hearts provided a challenge for the 500 or so in attendance. Outside of the first few rows it was extremely difficult to see the stage, and crowd surfers had to balance themselves against the ceiling as they made their way to the front. Spirits were not dampened by the conditions, however, as the crowd was able to take in picturesque views of the New York City skyline while singing and dancing along to nostalgic tunes from their teenage years.

Whether it’s having a “Price is Right” themed tour (with Reel Big Fish in 2007), playing in non-traditional venues such as bowling alleys and on boats, or selling customized life jackets as they did over the weekend, Less Than Jake is never going to be a band that falls in line with any other trend. In fact, chances are they will think of the trend before anyone else does.

- Tim Lynch

In a time where the term “punk” is thrown around so loosely in describing bands and trends, we often forget what punk rock is supposed to mean. At its core, punk rock is about bringing people together of different backgrounds, it’s about unity, and it’s about coming together for a cause that we all believe in.  These ideals have not been lost on Frank Turner, and he did an incredible job of reminding us of this on Thursday night at Bowery Ballroom.

Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls invaded the New York City for the second time in two months to another sold out crowd. The Englishman turned the historic venue into a pub atmosphere where pints of beer were held high over peoples heads instead of the usual cell phones and cameras.

One of the most well-rounded lyricists, Turner empowered the people on “Try this at Home,” gave a British history lesson with the a cappella “English Curse” and rallied against religion on “Glory Hallelujah.”  The diversity of Turner’s subject matter was also reflected in his fans.  From old school punk-rockers with denim vests to more polished white-collar fans who have “bought in” over the years, everyone was singing and dancing, and status didn’t matter at least for two hours.

Turner’s punk rock roots shined through most impressively on the night’s final song, “Photosynthesis.” A song about getting older while staying young at heart, the hundreds in attendance seemed to be able to relate to every word coming out of Turner’s mouth at that moment, as Crowd surfers and stage divers added to the carefree atmosphere of the evening.

The debate on what’s “punk” and what’s not will continue to rage on, but hopefully Turner helped people realize that the term isn’t defined by three chords and a steady snare drum beat – it’s a feeling.

- Tim Lynch

(PHOTO: ERIK WEISS)