Tuesday night, Queens band Freelance Whales celebrated the release of their debut album, Weathervanes, with a hometown show at Bowery Ballroom. The 5-member band, who formed in 2008, combines boy/girl harmonies with a plethora of intriguing musical instruments such as a glockenspiel, &a waterphone for an on-stage game of musical chairs set to rock n roll lullabies.

The show began a bit curiously with an empty darkened stage & a haunting a capella hymn which seemed to hover mysteriously above the crowd like the voices of an unseen choir. An anxious fan shouted “play the hits!”, and shortly thereafter, the band appeared on stage expressing gratitude to the full, welcoming crowd. FLW started the Weathervanes-heavy set off strong with “Generator^ Second Floor” and played both radio-friendly tunes, “Hannah” and “Starring”, in the first half.

Midway through, vocalist/ multi-instrumentalist Doris Cellar sang a whispery cover song, that had guitarist Kevin Read channeling a subdued Jimmy Page with a violin bow. The band powered through the second half of the 1-hour set with songs including “Broken Horse” and “We Could be Friends” and ended with “The Great Estates”.

Freelance Whales will continue their U.S. tour through August with stops at both Sasquatch and Lollapalooza along the way. Weathervanes is now available on Freelance Whales’ official website and wherever music is sold.

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Genre, Indie Rock, New York, New York Event Reviews, Rock