The Bobby Lees’ fourth studio album is called New Self. It was released earlier this summer and signaled a glorious return for the punk quartet from Woodstock, NY. Now, New Self – both the album and the title single – is about rebirth. As lead singer Sam Quartin sings in the single …
“I’m older now
I’ve gotten help
I wish you could meet my new self.”
But anyone who saw the band’s return to live performance at New York’s Irving Plaza on Thursday night can attest that the Bobby Lees have lost none of the aggressive swagger that made them one of the best young rock bands of the past decade.
Bobby Lees triumphant return to Manhattan signals a new era for the band
During “New Self,” which closed Thursday’s 18-song, 50-minute set, Quartin flung herself about the stage just like she has always done, while the rhythm section of bass player Kendall Wind and drummer Macky Bowman kept the freight train of sound powering relentlessly forward.
The Bobby Lees may indeed be new, but they are no less potent.
Their story is well known to the small, loyal cadre of devoted fans. Bowman and Wind met and began playing together before they reached their teens. When Quartin put her Hollywood dreams on hold and relocated to Woodstock a few years later, the band came together. Nick Casa served as lead guitarist.
In true DIY fashion, the young band released three albums between 2018 and 2022 and impressed a lot of power brokers in the rock world. However, despite relentless touring, they simply were not making enough money to sustain a career.
With anxiety mounting, they went on hiatus after 2022’s Bellevue. Then, one of their fans stepped in.
Jason Momoa – Khal Drogo/Aquaman – offered to finance a new album. New Self therefore became the Bobby Lees’ first release that didn’t require tour proceeds to make up for production costs. As Quartin has said repeatedly while promoting the new disc, plenty of people have promised to help the band over the past eight years. Momoa was the first to actually come through on the promise.
Now they have a new guitarist (Casa left after completing New Self) and a deal with Brett Gurewitz’s Epitaph Records, one of the leading labels for young indie and punk bands.
Playing before a sold-out house in the historic Irving Plaza, the band unleashed a lot of stored up passion.
Kendall Wind took the stage by herself for a few moments to begin the show. The diminutive Wind is as dynamic a bass player as there is in modern rock, and she proceeded to create a wave of noise for a few seconds, preparing for the entrance of Bowman, who strutted onstage in white socks and sneakers, silver-bedazzled briefs, and nothing else.
Finally, it was Quartin’s turn to join her bandmates. They launched into “50 Ft,” the band’s cover of PJ Harvey’s original, one of the tracks on New Self. Quartin skipped the guitar, leaving Wind’s bass to carry the song.
Then, new guitarist Oscar joined them for “Napoleon,” the lead single from the new album. The song begins with Quartin’s confessional lyrics…
“It’s hard to believe in yourself when the thought – it’s just not, it’s not natural for me…”
They followed it with the third straight New Self tune – “Red Hot,” which closes the album in an avalanche of propulsive passion.
On the night, they would play four more tracks from New Self, including Quartin’s solo rendition of “Got Me Good,” performed on guitar as the rest of the band stretched out on the stage to listen.
In the middle of the show, they performed four songs from Bellevue, including the glorious doom rock of “Hollywood Junkyard,” chronicling Quartin’s adventures in LA. On “Strange Days,” Bowman left his drum kit and wandered into the crowd in front of the stage to lead the cheering.
They played their two most recent singles – “Hey Na” and “Outlaw” – the product of a collaboration with Quartin’s alter-ego side project, Lady Boy. On “Hey Na,” they revved up a beat machine for the first time.
In all, the Bobby Lees played almost the entire new album along with six songs from Bellevue, including an apocalyptic take on the Waterboys' mid-‘80s “Be My Enemy.” They also touched on selections from their first two albums to provide a fast-paced, comprehensive history.
Through it all, Wind and Bowman laid down exhilarating rhythms for Quartin’s potent delivery. The two old friends recently completed a stint as Jon Spencer’s rhythm section on his most recent tour. There is not a better young drum/bass duo working in rock and roll these days, and with Quartin’s singular vocal delivery out front, the future is looking very bright for the Bobby Lees.
They were ably supported at Irving Plaza by Brooklyn-based Talon – a harder-edged B-52s'-style dance band with an enthusiastic local following in the city -- and Scattrbrain, the new alt-rock incarnation of Atlanta rapper GRIM. His track “Woke Mind Virus” is a perfect distillation of how he is blending hip hop and rock & roll for a new generation.
The Bobby Lees return home for a show in Woodstock later this week before hitting the road again, heading west in late October and then playing the West Coast in December. If you were an old fan, rest assured they are entirely reinvigorated. If you love hardcore rock and haven’t heard them, make the Bobby Lees a priority.
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