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Cold War Kids @ Terminal 5

Jordana Borensztajn
Concerts
4
NEW YORK, NY—All of the recent Cold War Kids shows in NYC have been sell-outs, and I thought I understood why; their original take on songwriting and story-telling, their eclectic choice of instruments, and the charm of the characters they create to fill each track. But after finally seeing them (after a long time of wanting to), I was disappointed.
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Ida Maria @ Webster Hall

Jordana Borensztajn
Concerts
NEW YORK, NY—Ida Maria’s gruff and tough, and she’s the type of chick you wouldn’t want to accidentally run into in a dark alley—or get trapped in an elevator with. But when she’s up on stage, and you’re at a safe distance away in the crowd, this Norweigan rock goddess shines like an absolute star. While she might have only released her debut record, Fortress Round My Heart, last year, it hasn’t stopped the European songbird from acting like a true professional. While she can, at times, sound like a bit of a tortured soul, who’s either barking, bitching or just generally mouthing off on issues like loneliness, self-confidence and sleeping around, Maria’s funny, she’s got flair, and most importantly, she beams with an I-don’t-give-a-shit attitude that couldn’t have made its way into the music scene at a better time.
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PJ Harvey and John Parish @ Irving Plaza

Jordana Borensztajn
Concerts
NEW YORK, NY—In the lead up to PJ Harvey’s appearance at Irving Plaza, the capacity-crowd that packed the Fillmore buzzed with an energy and a sense of uncontrollable excitement which I haven’t felt at a gig in a while. When the English singer/songwriter finally braced the crowd, if there was such a thing as a standing ovation at a venue like Irving Plaza, well Polly Jean almost certainly received one. The entirely overage crowd was, on the most part, made up of long-time Harvey lovers, whose roars and cheers were almost deafening. I’m fairly confident that most of the noise roused was for the songbird herself, rather than her counterpart John Parish, but it didn’t really matter either way because at this gig, Harvey seemed more than happy to share the stage and the spotlight.
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Cut Copy @ Terminal 5

Jordana Borensztajn
Concerts
NEW YORK, NY—Cut Copy’s gig with Matt & Kim as openers was without a doubt, an electro-dance dream. And to be honest, I’m not sure who I was more excited for; the Brooklyn synth-pop up-and-comers, or the Aussie electro-pop masters. What was a certainty, however, is that no matter how much fun I or anybody else in the crowd was having, both bands looked like they were having much more fun onstage.