The last time Destroyer played Brooklyn Steel was March 7, 2020, which ended up being one of the last shows of their tour as most of North America went into Coronavirus lockdown just a few days later. A lot has happened since then, even if we're still kinda in the same place in many ways, and there was a distinct feeling of deja vu when Dan Bejar and his six-piece band took the stage at Brooklyn Steel on Saturday.
Destroyer are on tour in support of their excellent new album LABYRINTHITIS, which is very much in the vein of Kaputt and Have We Met, and Saturday's show was heavy on those three albums, including "Suicide Demo for Kara Walker," "The Raven," "Chinatown," "It Just Doesn't Happen," "Kaputt," and "It's in Your Heart Now." The band sounded especially good on those songs, featuring extended, blissed out grooves where Dan, as he is wont to do, would crouch down, take a swig from his drink and take in the scene,
A couple of the new album's songs took on new light in the live environment: "June," which Dan jokingly told the audience was called "Dump Him" (it's the last line of the song), got even weirder than the studio version, which was already very Jim Morrison-eque; and the disco-y "It Takes a Thief" became more of an '80s Northern Soul number a la Dexy's Midnight Runners or The Style Council. There were a few deep cuts, too, including "European Oils" and "Looter's Follies" from Destroyer's Rubies, and the night ended with "Streethawk I." Check out the setlist below.
Destroyer's tourmate on this stretch is Rosali, who delivered a terrific set of ragged rock n' roll, backed by members of David Nance's band. (They played on her 2021 album No Medium as well.) Destroyer keyboardist Ted Bois joined for "Waited All Day."
Check out pics by P Squared from Saturday's show in this post.
Pick up lots of Destroyer vinyl in the BV shop.
SETLIST: Destroyer @ Brooklyn Steel 6/7/2022 It's in Your Heart Now June The Raven Times Square Tinseltown Swimming in Blood Tintoretto, It’s for You Kinda Dark It Just Doesn’t Happen Cue Synthesizer The River It Takes a Thief Kaputt European Oils The Last Song Suicide Demo for Kara Walker
