"Astonishing / Utterly divine / Exhilarating / Preciously sublime" — Model/Actriz in Columbus, Ohio
"Astonishing / Utterly divine / Exhilarating / Preciously sublime" are the opening lyrics to Model/Actriz' electrifying banger "Cinderella" and also happen to describe what it was like to be in the crowd at Ace of Cups in Columbus, Ohio last Friday night. It was the fifth show of the Brooklyn-based quartet's fall U.S. run supporting their fantastic sophomore album, Pirouette that came out earlier this year. A follow up to their great debut Dogsbody (2023), Pirouette truly cemented their unique dance-punk/industrial/post-punk sound that isn't quite like anything else. The record is fearless, vulnerable, hopeful, gritty, and slutty, and was a top pick for AOTY.
Something about me is that I go to a lot of shows. Arena shows, house shows, bar shows, seated shows, standing shows—you name it and I’ve done it. Despite all of my experience in live music, I can confidently say, this was the most fun I've had in quite some time. I was quite surprised that it wasn't sold out, but the place was packed and was buzzing with energy long before the band went on, thanks to the opener Body Meat, who definitely helped set the vibe.
The stage was swathed in red lights, which along with the red velvet curtains that surrounded the stage, which gave the effect of some sort of vampire cabaret. The band took the stage and started the show with Pirouette opening track, "Vespers." Directly after the first song, vocalist Cole Haden asked for the Dirty Frank's Hot Dogs sign (the walkup window inside the venue) to be turned off because it was kind of killing the vibe. They graciously complied and the crowd cheered, yessss more darkness!
Now that the venue was properly dimly lit, they launched into their second song of the set, the fast thrasher "Mosquito," which initiated the mosh pit. As I gleefully threw myself into the swirling pit of already sweaty bodies, I knew this was going to be a special night.
When we weren't moshing, we were all jumping to the beat, hands up and singing along, and when we weren't doing that, we were rapt in the thrall of Haden's powerful aura. After "Mosquito" came "Diva" (which gets stuck in my head on a weekly basis) but then, "Amaranth" where Haden ventured into the crowd and we all did our best to hold his mic cord to keep it from getting tangled. He stalked his way through the people, seeking out a variety of folks to serenade and dance with, which was incredible to watch and to be a part of. At one point, we all crouched down in a circle around him as he sang, and then as the beat dropped, sprang back up while still managing to keep that damn cord from getting tangled.
After a costume change and several more songs, ("Doves," "Audience") there was a return into the crowd for "Departures"which was just as exhilarating the second go around. Drummer Ruben Radlauer, guitarist Jack Wetmoore, and bassist Aaron Shapiro may not be wearing bug eye sunglasses, nails, and heels, and don't seem to be ready to vogue anytime soon, but that doesn't make them any less exciting to watch. Their skill with creating their noisy, harsh tones (with a somewhat minimal pedal situation I might add) and keeping the wildly complex syncopated rhythms steady is absolutely mindblowing to watch.
By the time they closed with "Cinderella" and "New Face" I was completely drenched in sweat (both my own and other's), ankles aching, part of my eyebrow had definitely been rubbed off, but damn I felt so alive. And I wasn't alone. The crowd around me, composed of people of all shapes and sizes, varying ages, mostly queer, just emanated joy.
Throughout the night though, I kept finding myself thinking, this is a dangerous band. It's been a dark time here in America for a while, but the last few months have been just exceptionally bleak. So in this current political climate that seeks to roll back LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights, immigrant rights and criminalize trans peoples' mere existence, having these spaces that feel so free and empowering cannot be anything besides dangerous to those who want to erase us.
We need ‘dangerous’ bands now more than ever. We need stable spaces of true life-affirming fun and wild abandon. We need moshpits initiated by a frontman in a crocheted bunny hat with a transparent top high-kicking into the stratosphere. We literally need abrasive unabashedly weird gay music!
The other concern that nagged the back of my brain was that I think Model/Actriz are insanely talented and their fanbase will only continue to (deservingly) grow, but I don't know if the experience will translate in larger venues. Will Cole Haden be able to do his crowd work? Will the mosh pits stay as sweatily wholesome? Will the audience stay as deeply queer? Or are they in fact, too dangerous to grow?
I suppose only time will tell. But with all that in mind I cannot stress enough the urgency in which you must get yourself in the same room as Model/Actriz. Dance out the demons, celebrate difference, and ask yourself "are you free enough to be a bitch, but graciously?"
Tickets available for remaining Model/Actriz dates can be found here: https://www.modelactriz.com/