Perfume Genius @ The Knitting Factory Williamsburg, Brooklyn 10 - 10 - 10

The L Magazine review:

"The room is more quiet than I’ve ever seen. You can hear every pop of a beercan opening, every snap of a camera. Any chitchat among the audience receives glares. I worry that I didn’t turn my off my phone. When a song stops, usually abruptly, Hadreas clears his throat, shifts in seat, and whispers “Thanks.” This continues through a large portion of material from Learning, the surprise Matador-backed, Best New Music-earned debut album from earlier this year. When there’s a break in the cycle, like when his mic stand keeps drooping, the crowd jumps at the chance to release the tension. “There should be a knob to tighten!” people yell out encouragingly. It feels good to help. “I’m retarded for not knowing that,” he laughs. Then turns to Wyffles and says, “Hit it.”

Soon comes album highlight “Mr. Peterson,” a cringe-worthy song that includes the lines, "My work came back from class/With notes attached/Of a place and time/Or how my body kept him up at night. He let me smoke weed in his truck/If I could convince him I loved him enough/Enough, enough, enough." The last part is barely audible, not even sung into the mic. A few beats later, there's this: "When I was 16, he jumped off a building." Eventually Hadreas mutters, “Thank you so much for coming to the show.” Again, laughter from the audience. Not because it’s funny, but because, holy crap do we need something to laugh about"

Sebastian Blanck

photo & video: MOJA2