By Rya Backer
Thursday night, I had the privilege of seeing Suckers, a band I had a fondue party with the night before (you'll see footage of our melted-cheese exploits on this very Web site quite soon). They were incredible, and it was the best show I've seen since I saw Tanlines last month.
First of all, the show immediately took an unusual turn because a dude climbed up on the Studio at Webster Hall's stage and tried to punch lead singer in the face. That wasn't the only bit of extra-curricular weirdness, as later on a couple began ... let's just say they it was inappropriate.
It was a testament to how great Suckers are as a live act, because even with all distractions they still managed to turn in a signature show. Singer Quinn Walker wears makeup but applies it in a way that a seven-year-old on acid might. Quinn and the rest of the quartet — drummer Brian Aiken and multi-instrumentalists Austin Fisher and Pan — form a cohesive, oft-harmonizing unit. I can attest to how genuinely nice they all are, and their live set is well thought-out and passionate.
The band's music is unique, often sounding like a collection of forgotten Purple Rain b-sides. Quinn's vocal range is gigantic, stretching as high as Mariah Carey on "Emotions" and as deep and soulful as that Enigma song where everything's played backwards in the music video. And though opener "Save Your Love for Me" had gorgeously haunting harmonies, the night's one standout was the evening's powerful closer "It Gets Your Body Movin,'" which featured a spaced-out guitar solo, whistles and trumpet.
Suckers will continue to criss-cross the country with the just-as-great White Rabbits for a little while longer, and you should catch them now, because they won't be playing cramped rooms like the Studio at Webster Hall for much longer.
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