New York City’s very own Bodega came back to Nottingham for another round of post-punk esoteric goodness. This time, they’d graduated from the homonymous Bodega in the city for a night at Rescue Rooms. Izzy Morris went down to see the band in action...
After checking the actual venue for this gig about four times to make sure I didn’t wander down to Hockley instead of Rescue Rooms, I arrived at the venue to be welcomed by GIFT – friends of Bodega’s from NYC.
They warmed the room up with a dose of psychedelic indie rock to dust off the cobwebs. There’s clear shoegaze influences in their, but perhaps with a little bit more of a sprinkle of sugar to what they do, adding a little bit more of an upbeat atmosphere to the swirling guitars and aspirant vocals. They’re definitely a band that I’ll be adding to my playlists.
Bodega set their agenda immediately, walking onto advertisement audio style soundbites before breaking into Network from their album Our Brand Could Be Yr Life. This album is a recreation of an album originally created by Bodega Bay – a band that preceded the existence of Bodega as they are now known. This marriage between the past and the future is also furthered by the clear noughties art-punk influences that have helped formulate their sound. It’s nice to hear a more theatrical, fuzzy and punchy take on anti-consumerism from a band that have very much been around the block.
The band were all about bang for your buck, whizzing through their now extensive discography with minimal interruptions. Nikki Belfiglio did do a bit of a ‘pulse check’ on the room halfway through to gee the crowd back to life, which was met with an energetic response. I don’t know many people that could match the enthusiasm of Belfiglio, though – she was completely captivating, more and more so as the evening went on. Watching her thwack her cymbal with gusto was simply awesome. A very solid A+ for effort.
While they sounded brilliant sonically, it was hard to actually consume all of the lyrics, even in the middle of the room, which for a band as clever and as witty as these guys is a bit of a shame.
The audio issues that they were facing did seem to improve over time though, and they in no way stopped the gig from being an absolute blast, and would have been much less of a problem for those around me singing along themselves.
Fan favourite tracks including Statuette on the Console and Territorial Call of the Female got everybody moving, and new tracks such as Tarkovski and Myrtle Parade allowed the band to demonstrate they’ve still that fun and funky edge that makes them so engaging to watch.
Towards the end of the set, the band were joined on stage by a very special guest – a 14 year old boy called Keith who was celebrating his birthday in style with the NYC outfit. He climbed up with the band to play the tambourine with them, receiving a lovely chant around the room in praise. I’m sure that’ll be a very special memory for the birthday boy for years to come.
While the set list we heard was pretty chunky as it was, Bodega did let the crowd know that usually, they’d be treating the crowd to even more of an encore. Upon the request of a crowd member, we heard Gyrate, followed by I Am A Cinephile (chosen for its brevity) before the band shot off to The Bodega for a very special DJ set – a trend that’s been a joy to see in the city, with bands such as Dream Wife and Idles going for similar post-gig celebrations.
It’s clear to see that where Bodega go, the party follows and while I did sadly have to head for the last train home, I’m sure that their infectious sense of fun kept the fans dancing.
Bodega performed at Rescue Rooms on 15th October 2024, with support from GIFT.
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