Live Review: The Linda Lindas at Brooklyn Steel

On October 8th, the punk group The Linda Lindas headlined the Brooklyn Steel on their  Gotta Get Out Tour, spanning 34 cities across North America. Support acts: Deux Visages and Um Jennifer? opened with two sets of grunge-infused music. The Linda Lindas are touring in support of their latest record “Gotta Get Out,” distributed by Reprise Records. Taking the stage just after 9 p.m., the band looked confident and excited, each with a different-colored Fender guitar, on a stage with clouds on stands in front of a 90s garage band-inspired backdrop with red paint spelling out The Linda Lindas. They open with the 80s melodic “Gotta Get Out” with psychedelic instrumentals behind them.  

Taking a stand on current affairs, the group had headcount on site at the venue and mid-performance encouraged people to vote in the upcoming midterms on November 3rd. The Linda Lindas recently performed at the Power To The People festival in Maryland and are continuing to spread the message on tour. It’s very cool to see a group push civic engagement from the stage in times when many artists don’t. The acoustics of the Brooklyn Steel make for a loud and hardcore show for punk bands that pass through this venue on tour. Grunge shows are all about the atmosphere around the crowd and this show had passionate fans in attendance who have been following The Linda Lindas on tour for a few years. Parents brought their kids to the show and at the back of general admission there was space for the kids to run around during the set. With minimal audience interaction, the setlist flowed well, consisting of songs that stayed in the punk lane for a majority of the night. 

The music is light-hearted, feel-good grunge music that the band reflects back from the stage. When the artists look like they are enjoying themselves on stage, it translates to the crowd and makes for a great show. There is a specific energy people can let out at a garage rock show that is therapeutic for people to let loose in these spaces. Songs such as “Nino” and “Racist, Sexist, Boy” energized the Brooklyn crowd and made for standout moments in the set, with every member of the band hitting their marks well. 

The group delivered 3 songs in the encore, closing the show with “See You Next Time,” which is also the final track on their recent LP. In a one-hour and 15-minute set at the Brooklyn Steel, The Linda Lindas delivered a strong performance charged with passion for the pop/punk scene and are setting themselves apart in a competitive genre on the Gotta Get Out Tour. 

Setlist

1. Gotta Get Out
2. Oh!
3. Growing Up
4. Break
5. Helado De Limón
6. Burning Out
7. No Obligation
8. Lose Yourself
9. Excuse Me
10. Cuántas Veces
11. Closer
12. Okay
13. Nothing Left
14. Nino
15. High Horse
16. Blood On Our Hands
17. Linda Linda (The Blue Hearts Cover)
18. Everybody Told Me
19. All In My Head

Encore

20. Racist, Sexist Boy
21. I Could Be Wrong
22. See You Next Time