By Sabeena Singhani, Contributing Writer
Big Thief opened Frankie Cosmos’s New York show at Webster Hall on Nov. 13 with their classic energy rock, opening with “Masterpiece,” and a sway along the light crowd started. Adrianne Lenker, frontwoman, shreds guitar and her accompaniment seems to be in as much awe as the crowd. Her set goes through quickly, her smiles contradictory to the lyrics of “Real Love,” the way heartbreak cuts you open and splits you up. Adrianne sang up on her tippy toes, ebbing her words past the microphone. She ends with an unreleased song, her words blurring together as she sings, almost raps her words, uncharacteristic of her pop, alt, indie, mix of sounds. Lenker ran off the stage quite literally, grabbing her guitar and her band following close behind her.
Greta Kline of Frankie Cosmos took to the stage, calling for her fans to screech “I love you” and “Marry me.” After Greta Kline’s debut in Porches as a bassist, she is now the frontrunner of Frankie Cosmos, joined by David Maine on bass, Luke Pyenson on drums and Lauren Martin on keyboard. Her latest album, “Next Thing,” features one of the band’s most listened to songs, “On the Lips,” a song about the separation anxiety that occurs after a lover leaves. It’s shown throughout the show that Big Thief and Frankie Cosmos have a lot in common, their albums centered around unrequited love and the pain associated that comes with the silly little thing called love.
The setup of the stage was underwhelming for Webster Hall, the usual sensory overload of blue, green and red was toned down to a soft purple haze cast across Greta and her grinning bassist David Maine. Greta’s fans continued to shout messages, and she took the time before each song to reciprocate, her fans a mist of head-banging and hand-holding. Frankie Cosmos slowly began to sway with the fans, the sound guy in the corner even looked up from his phone to move along. Her words weaved through the crowd, her eyes, even closed connected to the audience. Adrianne of Big Thief made an appearance in her set, an impromptu guitar solo in the making as Greta nodded at her from center stage. Adrianne clearly showed her different style at this moment, her solo a rarity in Frankie Cosmos’s soothing and heart-grabbing words.
Frankie Cosmos closed with “Too Dark,” the high-hats blending into her words, the crowd flailing and bouncing up. Greta’s keyboardist began to open up, smiling at her band members, an assuring nod that this was a good show. It was their last this tour, which started in San Diego this September. It came full circular for the band, their roots always in New York City. They wore their band passes on their legs, seemingly a signature Frankie Cosmos move, and walked out with a humble smile and gentle wave. The crowd took their time shuffling out, the humble smiles exchanged between laughing groups of friends, lovers and the like.
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