Stolen Gin Live Review: The Red Room at Cafe 939
Photo Courtesy of Nolan Eastman // @bybuffanj
On February 3rd, I had the opportunity to visit The Red Room at Cafe 939 to watch Stolen Gin—a disco-like funk band from New York—perform live. A few months back, I was recommended one of their songs and became obsessed. The day before the concert, I impulsively bought tickets because I wanted to see how their sound compared from studio recordings to a live performance. The concert was sold out, so I arrived at the venue about an hour before doors opened to secure a good spot. However, I quickly realized from the lack of a line that their fanbase was not the type to be there hours ahead, and I was extremely early.
When the doors finally opened and people began to fill the room, I took note of the varying ages within the crowd. Beside me, there were two high schoolers who were exhilarated to be there, and on the other side a few people who were definitely well into adulthood. I had never gone to a concert alone before. I didn’t really know what to do with myself without having someone to talk to, and I didn’t want to run the battery down on my phone. I watched other people mingle and get to know each other, so I made small talk with two of the high schoolers I met before. It was nice to see how thrilled they were about the show. After a while, the lights dimmed and we waited for the opener to take the stage.
Zoe Sparks, a recent Berklee graduate and the opener for the evening, stepped in front of the crowd at 7:06 and the room was packed. Sparks had a gorgeous, greenish-yellow guitar and opened with her original song, “Really Love.” She told the crowd that she liked opening with a song that she hadn’t yet played live just to see if she could do it. Sparks talked about how she usually performs with a seven-piece band, and after stalking her social media, I would love to witness them live one day. The next song she played, “Never Been in Love,” is set to be released on Valentine’s day.
Sparks has this indie-rock, lyrical sound with just her and her guitar, but her soothing voice feels kind of jazzy at moments. She followed the first few tracks with songs from her discography that can be found on any streaming platform. She told the audience her newly released single, “Famous,” is about watching her classmates and friends experience the music industry in a positive light. She describes how they’re getting record deals and TV experience and how she feels inferior because she isn’t. Sparks finishes her set with an unreleased song, “Fakeup Song,” which is about ending things with the person who you weren’t technically dating but was definitely more than a friend. This was one of my favorites of her set. I really enjoyed the lyricism of the song.
Stolen Gin takes the stage at about 7:40, and as the lights change to warmer colors, the atmosphere immediately becomes more relaxed. The band encouraged everyone to create space for themselves to dance. Their sound has a unique, groovy melody that follows their disco-funk sound. I was really excited– it’s not every day you get to see a saxophonist as a core band member. They opened with their song “No Tonic,” which was a great choice. Not only is it the title track of their new album No Tonic, released in October 2022, but it’s also a great introduction to what each of the members brings to the band and their sound. I admire how they had an improvisational flow in their instrumental breaks for not only this song, but a lot of the others as well.
Photo Courtesy of Nolan Eastman // @bybuffanj
There were times when Sawyer Adler, bassist, or Will Adlr, lead guitarist, would go back and forth with saxophonist, Evan Jacobson. There was a moment in the show where the lead singer and guitarist, Jackson Lardner, broke a string on his guitar. While he was figuring out how to get a new one and tune it, drummer, Josh Farrell played the most incredible drum solo I’ve ever heard. A noteworthy moment came during “Take Your Problems to the Disco,” one of my favorites and one of their most popular songs. The audience sang the chorus so loud, you could see the pure joy on the band members’ faces as we continued their song. This was the first song of theirs I heard and one I shared with a ton of my friends. It opens with a funky, smooth bassline and drum beat, and the melody played with a saxophone that emulates the disco sound they mention within the song. During that moment, the band went into a cover of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” which was a great choice because they reference Whitney Houston in their song.
The entire show was amazing and after it, I found myself wishing I had convinced one of my friends to come with me. It’s not often I get to experience a concert where people are there to just presently enjoy the music being played and dance rather than record the entire show for later. I wondered if the crowd’s older age played into their need to be present. It was quite an intimate setting and after their set, the band invited the crowd to join them at the pub next door. They were incredibly casual and talked with people in the audience and at the merch stand, where I got to meet Jackson– who was incredibly sweet. I then spoke with Adlr about what was next for the group, and what their plans are post-tour. He told me that they were going to record a new single a week from that Saturday. “Hopefully we’ll be able to release it within the next few months,” he said.
I also asked if they wanted to expand touring to other parts of the country, and he said they’d love to tour the west coast, which I recommended to my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. I would undoubtedly see them again whether it was there or in Boston. If you are interested in hearing their music, I would definitely recommend giving them a listen. You can find both Stolen Gin and Zoe Sparks on Spotify and Apple Music!