Brian Slattery Photos
Audio Jane.
Four bands rocked the corner of State and Crown to a full house at Cafe Nine this Saturday night.
Up first was Silver Liz from Brooklyn, N.Y. The wife and husband duo of Carrie Wagner on lead vocals and keys and Matt Wagner on guitar and backup vocals created a full band sound thanks to backing tracks supplying a full rhythm section of bass and drums. The full sound combined with the duo’s stillness on stage created a sense of detachment that served the music, whether it was Carrie’s dream-pop vocals or Matt’s guitar, which alternated between fuzzed out and drowned oceanically in effects. In the second half of the set, the duo leaned harder into the electronics; for a few numbers, as Silver Liz churned out club-worthy grooves while the ample audience bobbed heads, the atmosphere was almost loungey.
Private Language, from Fairfield County — Ryan on vocals and guitar, Matthew on bass and vocals, James on guitar, and Nikolai on drums — next filled stage and club with sound, kicking off with a solid rocker that made all conversation in the bar cease. It was followed by throaty cheers.
“We’re called Private Language. What are your names?” Ryan said in response. He explained how pleased he was to be on stage, noting that “we haven’t been here since 2019, before Covid.”
“B.C.!” someone shouted from the audience.
It was clear the band hadn’t lost any time. With strong drums, thick bass, complex guitars, and commanding vocals, Private Language played with a ferocity and abandon that amplified the songs’ clever structures and catchy hooks. Above it all, Ryan delivered vocal after impassioned vocal, ready to connect with listeners.
He also delivered on off-kilter, engaging banter, whether it was pointing out some band parents in the audience (“thank you for being here, and for making our drummer”) or explaining the origins of a few of the songs.
“Here’s a song I wrote during daylight savings,” Ryan said by way of introduction. “It’s about seasonal depression and it’s great for slow dancing. Come on, grab a partner. I’m going to be your Cupid.” Another song, he said, was about “boredom.”
But as the audience response indicated, there was nothing boring about Private Language’s set. By the time the band was done, the audience was even more energetic than when it started.
Audio Jane — Sarah Pech on vocals and guitar, Nate Harris on bass and backup vocals, Kevin Lamkins on guitar, and Mike Ciunci on drums — had just a few things to say to the crowd, that they were “thrilled to be back at Cafe Nine, our favorite place in the world.” The real communication happened through the music, as the band unleashed a set of stellar songs played with deep musicianship. Ciunci was steady and subtle on drums, Harris pulsing and Pech strumming in lockstep, while Lemkins created textures and atmospheres on guitar. But really it was all a vehicle for Pech’s vocals, which moved from a whisper to a stuttered snarl, rock with a nice helping of twang.
The effect was hypnotic. People moved closer to the stage as if compelled, swaying side to side. Further back from the stage, heads nodded in unison. As the set continued, the band dug deeper, and the music felt ever more expansive. By the last song, the band’s sound felt tidal, enormous, unstoppable, as Harris and Ciunci thundered out a groove while Lamkins created squalls of noise on his guitar. Pech’s and Harris’s voices rose above it all, surfing the giant waves. The band left the stand as Lamkins’s guitar fed back. The sound was all that was left.
The bar was still mostly full at midnight, and Cabins, East! — a full quintet of two vocalists, two guitars, bass, and drums — arrived onstage to pour even more energy onto the crowd with stirring rhythms, dynamic, full-throated singing, and surging guitar solos. It was clear that a lot of people just didn’t want to go home. Cabins, East! gave them all the reason they needed to stay out.
