Thumpasaurus Brings Unmatched Absurdist Revelry to Brooklyn's Elsewhere
Brooklyn’s Elsewhere became a haven for absurdist revelry as Thumpasaurus headlined a dual bill that brought out everyone’s inner freak on Saturday evening. Adored New York based openers Guerilla Toss began the night with a quirky acidic funk infused hour long opening set. With bassist Zach Lewellyn seamlessly sewing an ever enveloping groove, singer Kassie Carlson was free to lead soaring melodies that instantly won over an eager audience.
Reminiscent of Sleigh Bells, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and your favorite jam band, Guerilla Toss was as equally captivating as it was visceral. The playful yet bombastic energy of manic pixie pony girl Carlson, was flanked by power stance aficionados Lewellyn and Shafiee on bass and guitar respectively. The happy moshing contingency was treated to breakdowns, half time rapping sections and Alice in Chains style bass lines that were devoured with glee. What would be considered ill-advised hurdles for a mediocre band, elevated Guerilla Toss into an elite tier. Abnormal song structure, tempo changes, and lengthy songs had the crowd fixated every step of the way. Wrapping up triumphantly with “Diamond Girlz” and “Zum Herz”, Guerilla Toss was a hard act to follow. Thumpasaurus were more than up to the challenge.
Riding the energy of a fully charged crowd isn’t for the faint of heart, but Thumpasaurus are battle tested. Adorned with yellow hard hats, custom white jumpsuits and utility belts; Thump was introduced by a custom Star Wars scroll on the projector screen, saturated with Zendaya stanning. From the moment the first note hit of “I’m Pissed”, the room was never the same. A cavalcade of bouncing mosh pits and funk laden dance-offs throughout their set, rarely gave a chance for breath. Commonly likened to a high octane Devo with a Prince-like funky backbone, Thump charged through standouts cuts such as “Dance Like It’s your Life” and “Terrified” to four-on-the-floor hungry fans with frivolity and tact. During the aptly named “I Need More Money” the crowd found themselves so engrossed by the performance that dollar bills were thrown on stage, and subsequently redistributed to the audience by the lead vocalist/ guitarist Lucas Tamaren.
If there were any doubts as to each band member’s musical prowess, Thump were armed with pocket flashlights to give each individual an opportunity to solo in the makeshift spotlight. Saxophones with pedal boards, chunky bass that cut through the cacophony, a lead singer with stamina for days. This is a band that genuinely loves what they do, and it is infectious. The group brought an unmatched multi sensory experience as well. Onstage Video DJ curation with realtime lyrics, memes and Adult Swim style visual stimuli kept everyone hyper engaged and grinning. Thumpasaurus skilfully navigated towards the crescendo of the night with their latest hit “Struttin” (featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon HERE), and crowd participation pleaser, “Space Barn”. Thumpasaurus’ zany, eccentric and masterful performances are not to be missed. Check out Thumpasaurus and Guerilla Toss on all major streaming platforms.
Review & Photos by: Jay Bartell
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