On the night I ventured to see Full Body 2, it was pouring and hot outside; A typical New York summer evening. I had landed in the city two days before going to see Purelink and Club Casualties open for Full Body 2 at a venue in Queens called TV Eye. I was hesitant about going simply because I was in a new city… alone. I was worried about what it might feel like to approach all of it by myself, but I resolved quickly that this anxiety would only go away if I just bucked up and went. I thought to myself, the music would be the thing to make me feel better, and it did!
I walked into the view of a dark stage, soft electronic sounds sneaking around me, and I looked up to see three people all sitting at their computers. I didn’t know what the Purelink members looked like before seeing them live. They were a trio of dudes sitting with their gadgets lined up in front of them, creating their music together live. After some slight digging, I learned they were a group from Chicago and had been releasing music since 2020.
Before the show, I listened closely to Purelink's 2023 album Signs. They took influence from electronic music in the ambient and dub techno scene introduced by groups from Europe in the 90s-- like Oval, Deepchord, or Basic Channel. Simply, Purelink is present in their newness, departing from the retro and nostalgic beats of the 90s and setting themselves apart with their controlled quiet. Unlike the older electronic artists, their side of ambient is delivered through washy beats that can be hard to focus on. In the small opening crowd, their music took me to another place. Mesmerized by the consistent dub-techno beats, I closed my eyes and barely paid attention to anything else.
The next group I had never heard of and I didn’t know what to expect. Two people came on stage known as Club Casualties. They began to play a track off of a CDJ while singing into their microphones. The tracks were upbeat and electronic. They took inspiration from techno, breakcore, and funk but brought their own kind of flavor. The vocals were the kind of pop that can’t help but be in your face. What made them unique was their ability to shape the lyrics into hardcore or emo emotions. If you were to strip away each layer of Club Casualties music you’d be left with a singular genre, but all together the music is unmatched and leaves you feeling a little cringed out but undeniably happy. The energy of the crowd was unmatched, with people dancing and singing all around me and feeling excited to be in the moment with everyone else.
Full Body 2 is a three-person band from New York creating a new and exciting recipe for shoegaze music, and they do it so well. The band consists of Cassidy Rose Hammond (bass, vocals), Dylan Vaisey (guitar, vocals), and Jack Chaffer (drums). Their recent EP, infinity signature, is known for its blend of electronic and shoegaze sounds. Full Body 2 creates the same energy as artists like MBV or Slowdive; their effect pedals and sound machines construct a massive wall of sound. The kind of wall you can’t knock down. Similar to other shoegaze projects in the scene right now (TAGABOW, A Country Western, Knifeplay), Full Body 2 also adds new forms of musical technology to make their sound stand out as something of their own. Shoegaze has become a genre that innovates and experiments with characteristics from electronic and ambient artists. These newer projects all incorporate elements of other styles of music to find a different sonically satisfying sound. Watching Full Body 2 live I was able to see how they truly produce this unique sound.
Jack’s (drummer) setup consisted of a full drum kit as well as a computer hooked up to a CDJ and a drum pad. Both of these devices would trigger electronic melodies and pre-recorded tracks used while the band was tuning their instruments or as the background to a song. When the band would play, the drummer would first use his stick to hit a drum pad which would start a track that was pre-recorded. The track would add another beat, guitar, bass, or synthesizer melody which they would then play over. If you listen to any song on infinity signature, you can identify the melody that would be played electronically when live.
I positioned myself right in the front row and let the sound hit me. Starting the set with my earplugs in and ready to go, I quickly pulled them out as they began to play, as I realized that I wanted to hear them raw, regardless of my potential loss of hearing later on. It was worth it. Dylan and Cassidy were both close to the crowd and focused on their playing and singing. When leaving the gig I remember hearing someone tell their friend they wished the vocals were louder and wanted to listen to their recorded tracks so they could hear the lyrics better. I quickly felt sorry since they would be disappointed to find that the words do not have the spotlight in their recordings. The lyrics are no more important than any other element; it is sometimes the point not to understand the words. Whether this be live or not, Full Body 2 has the undeniable shoegaze factor of washy vocal melodies sung to blend into the music, like another instrument.
As they left the stage, the crowd cheered and applauded Full Body’s excellence, so much so that they came back out on stage for an encore. Leaving their instruments behind, Jack played a pre-recorded ambient track as Cassidy and Dylan sang softly and slowly. Dylan was very shy without his guitar and Cassidy would sweetly encourage him to look up and open his eyes to the crowd. Later, I recognized the track as “self:heal” -- the one song on infinity signature that can slide by without you noticing its presence, but as an encore it gave the song so much anticipation and feeling.
Each group that played that night took inspiration from electronic dance music but separately they had inspirations from other genres-- shoegaze, pop, indie, hip hop, etc. The approach to shoegaze specifically is very unique and groundbreaking. Full Body 2 can blend drum and bass, techno, ambient, and downtempo styles of music with shoegaze-- a genre that doesn’t make sense to combine with those. In this instance, Full Body 2 was as much of a good headliner as Club Casualties and Purelink were openers. The ominous dark venue combined with the foggy red lighting and the well-executed sound, made it clear that this lineup was put together to showcase something fresh and exciting-- the infusion of underground subgenres to the larger category of electronic music. I am so glad I was there to witness this creation. I learned a lot about live electronic music and appreciated the crowd's attention and passion for these bands. I didn’t feel as alone or anxious when leaving the venue as I did when I got there.
If this article interested you please go listen to these projects:
Purelink's 2023 album Signs:
Club Casualties 2023 Album Bridge Underwater
And Full Body 2’s 2023 EP infinity signature
And all these artists other music too!!