Being a newcomer to the New York City concert scene, I didn’t know what to expect before I set foot inside Brooklyn Steel for Wallice and Still Woozy’s fifth show on Woozy's "If This Isn't Nice Tour" Saturday night. I was everything at once — excited and nervous and ready for what could be one of the coolest nights I’ve had yet. I stood beside a father and his two daughters on the pit floor. He seemed to not know much about the headliner or the main act, and I could partially relate.
Some of Still Woozy’s songs have made their way onto my playlists since his 2017 knockout single “Cooks,” but I was largely unfamiliar with the opening act Wallice. I’ve since learned that the 23-year-old musician made her debut in 2020 with the infectious indie tune "Punching Bag," just as the pandemic started rearing its ugly head throughout the US. Having never heard her songs before Saturday night, I can confidently say that Wallice’s entire set was the most pleasant surprise for a music lover this 2022.
7:54 pm. The floor is packed. An anxious crowd sits, stirring in aqua blue light and smoke drifting from the stage. All around, voices are murmuring about their edge-of-the-seat excitement and how they can’t wait for the upcoming show. 7:58 pm, and still no Wallice. Hits from iconic 80s songs to Billboard's Hot 100 are playing over the speakers, but no one’s here for anyone who isn’t the headliner or the opener. Everyone’s gaze is glossing over the stage and behind the curtains. Just before the crowd’s excitement grows too loud to bear, the lights shift into a purple haze, and two guitarists take the stage. 8:00 pm hits, and Wallice walks on, greeted by a roaring audience.
Soon after, Still Woozy and his band (Harry Terrell & Tatiana) come springing onto the stage, with the fire and passion like a couple of kids dancing on the last night of their lives. I have never heard such excitement from a packed venue in person. I glance behind me, and the entire room is filled with Woozy fans screaming his lyrics back at the stage. The infectious glimmer of bright blue and yellow lights, along with Still Woozy's Sven Gmasky's cosmic stage presence, engulf the audience until we are all swirling inside melodies and colors too rich for reality. Not a single soul goes unnoticed in this venue; Woozy transfixes every corner of Brooklyn Steel, electrifying the entire block with hits like “Window,” “Lucy,” and “Goodie Bag." Each time the intros play, thunderous cheers and applause erupt all around.
In the one hour that Wallice has to make a good impression, she exceeds all expectations and completely floors us Brooklyn attendees. “Hey Michael,” “Wisdom Tooth,” and even an exhilarating cover of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” all erupt from the LA native and her band composed of lead guitarist Callaghan Kevany and bassist Caleb Buchanan. There’s a unique charm about Wallice, a kind that lingers with you long after her set’s concluded. Dressed in a punk rocker chic Gucci bodysuit, she commands the stage like a performer far beyond her years, and with each new song, I fall more and more engrossed in the musical universe she has created. Countless times, audience members around me shout at one another about how incredible an artist she is, and I couldn’t agree more. At the end of the hour, nobody wants to see her leave the stage. A worthy opener for indie star Still Woozy, Wallice is a down-to-earth individual and larger-than-life musician who I have no doubt that we’ll be hearing more of in the future.
A person with floral tattoos swirling on their arms and ombré pink hair in front of me danced like their life depended on it, absorbed in the sounds throughout the entirety of the night. A smile is plastered across my face the whole show, and even two days later, I still feel soreness in my cheeks. But there are no complaints here, as both Wallice and Still Woozy have given me and the rest of Brooklyn Steel a night that will stick with us for a long time to come.
The two artists continue their US tour and will be hitting Oregon, California, Texas, and other states later this year. Check out both Wallice and Still Woozy at instagram.com/wallice and woozystill.com.
