UTG PHOTOS: PVRIS and Born Cages in New York, NY (06/01/15)

June 5th, 2015

MJ Rawls

Under The Gun Review sent photographer MJ Rawls to The Studio at Webster Hall in New York to shoot PVRIS at their recent show with Born Cages.

Unless you may been living under a rock, you’ve likely been aware of the dizzying rise of Boston alternative rock band PVRIS and their outstanding debut album released in 2014, White Noise. One of the perks of living next to New York is Webster Hall, where great shows get announced as fast as your instant popcorn is done. When PVRIS announced that they were performing at The Studio, tickets sold out pretty much instantly for the roughly 300-person max venue. It’s more or less the definition of an intimate show highlighted with a stage that’s just big enough with the fans in arm’s length.

The first act Monday night was New York’s very own Born Cages. The hometown crowd was very receptive on the eve of the unveiling of their debut album, I’m Glad It’s Not Me. Lead singer/guitarist Vlad Holiday showed off his charismatic side, often giving fans a high-five and hovering his guitar in the air. Songs like “I Just Want The Truth, Baby” and “Rolling Down the Hill” reminded me of the Arctic Monkeys. Make sure to catch Born Cages on the Vans Warped Tour this Summer.

PVRIS came on around 8:50 PM, and from there, the energy level was constant until the last song ended. From my personal favorites, “Smoke” and “My House,” the whole band was on point sonically. There was a point in the show where vocalist Lynn Gunn and guitarist Alex Babinski played an acoustic version of “Eyelids.” If you’re familiar with the track, it’s a very dreamy track that builds. With this version enhanced with the intimate venue setting, the song took on another heartfelt quality. Being there, you could really feel Gunn and the crowd get lost in the words.

It was the first time I actually got to catch PVRIS live and with the overall atmosphere, you just know when there’s a point of no return for a band. It’s only a matter of time before PVRIS are headlining their own tours and selling out the bigger stages. For now, this one-off show in New York was a great warm-up until the band is out taking Warped Tour by storm this year.