Born Ruffians @ The Bowery Ballroom (4.16.2013)

Born Ruffians released their third album, Birthmarks, on April 16, 2013. Though they have returned to New York several times since, we last saw Born Ruffians at Santos Party House in 2010 (the first show we recorded for this blog!).  Since then the band officially became a four-piece, adding guitarist/ keyboardist Andy Lloyd, Luke Lalonde debuted his first solo album, and the band worked on what would become their newest full length.  After working diligently for three years on the record, Born Ruffians celebrated the release of Birthmarks with a special show at the Bowery Ballroom.

          The stage set up for Born Ruffians was stunning. The band played in front of a light-up version of their new BR logo, a welcomed change from ordinary house lights.  The colors within the logo were vibrant and morphed frequently throughout the set. Born Ruffians also utilized projections and a disco ball at certain points in the show.  As for the instrument set up, this was the first time I've seen Steve play drums behind the rest of the band.  I am not sure how long he has been doing this (or if it was a one-time thing) but I don't think the four of them could have fit on the Bowery's stage in a straight line even if they wanted to!

          Though this show marked the release of their new album, songs from Birthmarks did not dominate Born Ruffians' set. Of the new songs, the crowd seemed most excited for "Needle," with which they closed their main set.  Nevertheless, a majority of the songs came from past releases.  The set was jam packed with fan favorites including "Barnacle Goose," "Hummingbird," and "I Need A Life." Personal highlights for me were "Kurt Vonnegut" and "Merry Little Fancy Things" (a song I last heard performed live in 2008 at Central Park).  The crowd was extremely energetic and made their support for the band known by singing and clapping along.  One of my favorite parts of seeing Born Ruffians is the crowd involvement. Watching from the balcony, I enjoyed hearing the entire venue sing along with the band.

I recorded the show from the center balcony next to the soundboard with fantastic results. Enjoy!


Download the live recording HERE (password=twosails)

Set List:
1. Intro
2. Badonkadonkey
3. Kurt Vonnegut
4. I'm One Of Those Girls
5. [banter]
6. Ocean's Deep
7. Rage Flows
8. [banter]
9. Too Soaked To Break
10. What To Say
11. Merry Little Fancy Things
12. Retard Canard
13. With Her Shadow
14. Cold Pop
15. [banter]
16. Barnacle Goose
17. Hummingbird
18. [banter]
19. Needle
20. [encore]
21. Little Garcon
22. I Need A Life