Programmique brings the art school ambience at Berlin on Friday, 8 March 2024.

DD Island steels the pedal for a genre surfing set.

The New Colossus Festival played out from March 6-10, highlighting new sounds in underground music from here, there, and all points foreign and abroad.

New York City is a destination that international acts are going to set their sights on regardless. But the stakes were raised as the fest has fit itself snugly into the week before SXSW, attracting bands from all over who wanted to hopscotch through town on their way to more storied Texas festival.

The New Colossus wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and you wouldn’t either, trading between showcases at dives and clubs dotting an electric neighborhood in one of the most exciting cities in the world. Sights, sounds, food, drink, and lodging if you can afford it.

Let’s go see some music!

With a name like ‘Berlin’, you fully expect to descend a long dark stairwell into a queerly-lit music club dungeon. That’s exactly what you get at 25 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009.

The place looks like it sold methamphetamines to the Beatles in 1966. A brick catacomb ceiling interior with plenty of nooks and crannies to get lost in, even for the small square footage. Finally, a modest stage situated at the inside corner of the L-shaped floor plan, which makes for awkward viewing angles. But the place is less about viewing angles and more about vibes.

Berlin vibes.

The NYC local four-piece DD Island can go full power pop when they want to. But they like to trade among different genres within the hi-fi garage or lo-fi rock universe. If you thought you heard country notes earlier in the set, your intuition was fully realized when they pulled out the lap steel later on. Something about lap steel (or pedal steel, whatever you like) that brings the swagger. No bravado in this crew, though – a nice quartet of gentlemen with music to share with the world.

Programmique is not a word as far as the power of online dictionaries can decipher. (The French ‘programmatique’ is the closest out there.) It’s a band though. A three-piece that mixes jazz intent, post punk artcore textures, and mathy structures. The drummer uses jazz handling, which always classes up a rock ensemble. Shades of Devo meets Black Beach meets Horse Lords. Good stuff, though the heavily-stylized execution can sometimes make you feel like you’re listening to the same track on repeat.

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