Quicksand Played Two Reunion Shows This Weekend
By Andrew St. Clair
Last June, Quicksand was the special guest at the Revelation Records 25th anniversary show in Pomona, California. It was the first time that the band had performed in 13 years and their reunion was very well-received, sparking talk of an NYC appearance. Thankfully, the performance wasn’t a one-off, and Quicksand announced some shows at the Bowery Ballroom and the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Both sold out in like two seconds.
Well HA HA, I got a ticket! The first night I saw them, Quicksand broke into “Omission,” which immediately inspired crowd surfing & circle pit moshing that didn’t stop throughout the band’s set. The crowd was like a fifth member of the band, singing along to every lyric and perpetually stage diving at every moment. The setlist was a Quicksand fan’s dream which included “Fazer,” “Head To Wall,” “Thorn In My Side,” & “Dine Alone.” On both nights, the crowd was at their loudest during “Brown Gargantuan.” All in all, the band played all but two of the eleven songs from their debut album, Slip and about half of their follow-up “Manic Compression.” They also threw in a cover of the Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now.” Front man Walter Schreifels dedicated “Lie In Wait” to all the hardcore females in the audience. “Let’s not forget our sisters, here.” This was an open invitation for some of the girls to get in on the stage diving action.
The differences between the two sets were minimal. “Baphomet” was added to the set list, the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to bassist Sergio Vega and comedian/musician Reggie Watts was a surprise opener. His unique brand of stream of consciousness stand up mixed with a cappella compositions easily won the hardcore crowd over. Italian Horn opened both nights.
Quicksand will play at least one more time at FYF Fest this weekend. Hopefully, this isn’t the last time we’ll see the band perform live. No one wants to wait another 13 years.
See the photos from the shows over at Noisey.
