Suckers at The Bowery Ballroom

A pesky bunch of Brooklynites we've had our eye on for the past couple years, Suckers' psychedelic pop skirmishes offers listeners a wicked plunge into a melodious world that is untamed, extravagant, and unyielding. Referencing the band's intrepid debut Wild Smile, our own Selden Paterson noted, "Suckers take a beautifully compiled bank of a few riffs and few vocal tricks, and throw them into every imaginable combination to construct an album that's an impressive balancing act. Juggling their instincts of slow and fast, upbeat and laidback, weird and normal-ish, sinister and animated, they've got all the elements and Wild Smile is the perfectly choreographed chaos worthy of listening to on repeat for sure." That kind of repeat behavior generally leads to the live arena, which is where we find the band in our latest concert release.

Taking the stage of the Bowery Ballroom late last spring, Suckers present some of Wild Smile best moments to a hometown audience happy to have them back from their tour in support of Local Natives. Here, the band brew an indigenous blend of singing, shouting, stomping, and chanting, all while pairing eccentric audibles with the kind of inventive presentation elements that are just not possible when merely plugged into a pair of ear buds. Donning capes, profane spears of sharpie on their bodies, and quirky styles of play (the best coming from drummer Brian Aiken), Suckers smack a wild smile on the face of anyone who encounters them. Thanks to our latest concert release, that might mean your mug as well. David Pitz

In two short years, SUCKERS, aka Quinn Walker, Austin Fisher, Pan and Brian Aiken, emerged from their homebase at the Glasslands Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with a sound and aesthetic that garnered critical acclaim both in NYC and in the online community. Those same audiences-and a nationwide mass of new converts-found themselves fully enmeshed in SUCKERS' lush tapestry of joyous pop, style and imagination on their self-titled debut EP (produced by Yeasayer's Anand Wilder), released in April of 2009. The EP -and its hit single, "It Gets Your Body Movin'"-launched them to global acclaim via outlets such as Rolling Stone, NME, NPR, Nylon, Under The Radar, Stereogum, Interview and many more. With the members often simultaneously playing multiple instruments per song and singing, shouting and chanting in unison, the group's early shows (often featuring the band in face paint and costumes) were wild affairs featuring primal beats, future sounds, trumpet blasts, religious truths and the sheer enjoyment of three one-man bands playing together. The trio knew they were missing something or someone and added drummer/keyboardist Brian Aiken, fresh off a year abroad in Hungary. With Brian on board, the band hit their stride, packing local venues and sharing bills with friends and like-minded artists as Yeasayer, MGMT, Bear In Heaven, Chairlift and Real Estate.