WVAU 2014: Best Live Acts


An essential part of the enjoyment of a band is their live show. If they can express and enhance the feeling of their recorded work, then they’ve succeeded. WVAU voted and our top three choices came to three very different acts, who share little but an amazing ability to express their music in a live setting in 2014.

3. Naomi Punk



In response to a question posed by Impose Magazine regarding the way society approaches art, frontman Travis Coster replied: “‰They are looking at niche culture as being this mainstream thing they need to be a part of. I‰’m bummed when young kids come to a show just to network with us, to ask us if we can put in a “good word‰” for them [with Captured Tracks]. I‰’m like, what the fuck? Do you even know why I make music?‰’‰” The way Naomi Punk approaches their craft, as an attempt to transcend inauthentic musicianship, is reflected greatly in their live performance. The name of the group does in fact reveal the music scene most influential in their career, but when it comes down to it, their innovations of this punk sound has allowed them to perform in a genre reserved strictly for themselves.

This past September Naomi Punk performed for an intimate crowd at Black Cat Backstage as they opened for Priests. The band managed to remain so calm as they aggressively played some of the grungiest music released in the past few years; it was an incredible sight.

The show was loud. So loud. But not too loud that it took away from the performance. Everything revolved around the powerful pounding of the bass, the gritty guitar lines, and the muffled lo-fi vocals. Their hypnotizing rhythms paired with an infectious energy transformed the audience into a Naomi Punk cult, as we all simultaneously bobbed our heads to the assertive downbeats of the drums and guitar combined.

The trio tends to keep to themselves onstage. Instead of filling the air with witty attempts to make the crowd laugh, Naomi Punk plays instrumental cuts from their discography. Songs like “Whirlpool of Anguish‰” and “Eon of Love‰” are some of the strongest tracks they‰’ve written and allow for much-needed relief during the intense show.

Most bands inevitably succumb to the pressures of music industry capitalism. The idea of following the current trends in order to make a profit from “art‰” has ultimately caused a devastating effect on this culture. Even bands that started out being anti-society, including the notorious Nirvana, have failed to resist; as Kurt Cobain so simply put it, “we‰’re so trendy we can‰’t even escape ourselves.‰” Witnessing Naomi Punk‰’s live performance presented such authenticity that gave the audience something to believe in again; a hope that musicians are still willing to escape boundaries and unwilling to alter themselves.

-Katie Cheyne

2. BANKS



What makes an artist truly unique is adding a completely different flavor to live performances that allow listeners to experience their music on a different level. BANKS‰’ sold out show at the 9:30 Club on September 26 did just that.

Her recent album Goddess is a perfect blend of sweet simple ballads and empowering beat-driven songs. BANKS expressed all aspects of the album’s energyduring her live show as she pointed at fans or ran her hands down her hips during bolder songs like “Goddess‰Û, but gently placed her them on the mic and let her voice carry the movement for simpler songs like “Under The Table‰Û. 

What struck me the most was how she controlled that entire building, people and stage included. She stomped the floor so hard during “Brain‰” I thought it might collapse under her. She crouched down and stared at people dead in the eye as she sang, “I can see you struggling/Boy, don‰’t hurt your brain,‰” she almost made me faint even though I was about 15 feet back.

Did I mention that her D.C family was in the audience watching her dominate what it means to be a sexy empowering woman? My mom doesn‰’t even know I flirt, yet she was somehow okay with allowing her family to see a side of her most of us would cringe at even the thought of our parents seeing. 

Nothing was what it seemed at first glance during her performance. Much of the right side of her face was covered by her hair, which added to her mysterious aura, but her left side was left naked, almost vulnerable. Her band was composed of only a drummer, a guitarist and a keyboardist, yet the music felt like dozens of masters of their craft interacting with your body and soul. Throughout the night, most of the crowd consisted of bodies almost involuntarily reacting to the beat and to BANKS‰’ attractive and infectious voice. 

But what happened next blew my mind, as a stunning, slowed-down cover of Trey Songz‰’ “Na Na‰” took the audience by total surprise. Obviously, everyone in the room went insane. As I looked around, I could see people mouthing “holy shit‰” and looking around to see if anyone else had the same reaction. All I could think about as she sang “put your hands in the air if you‰’re fucking tonight‰” was that her aunt was in the audience. That didn‰’t seem to stop anyone from throwing their hands up in response to the lyrics. 

BANKS was such a powerful force that night I have a newfound respect and appreciation for her album following this performance. I have images of her performance implanted in my brain every time I listen to her music now (which is without fail every day), especially the lyrics “You‰’re so bold while you‰’re watching me moan‰Û, when I convinced myself to believe she stared into my soul as she sang these words.

-Andrea Diaz

1. Pile



After a distressing amount of shows spent with $8 beers, nauseating conversation, and an endless, glowing trough of screens, a Pile set arrives like an exterminating angel. 

Pile ranks among the loudest and noisiest out there and they do so without muddling the tension and fragility that pour out of their songwriting. The band never sprints out of the starting gate, instead building the emotional knots that have won them so many devotees. 

When it all inevitably explodes, the venue warps into a whiplash whirlpool of bodies lost in catharsis. Exhaustion turns hypnotic as bulldozer chords, crackling fills, and climatic screams pull out energy you thought was long lost. 

I‰’ve left shows with broken glasses and steaming shoulders, a dumbfounded smile and slight depression that it‰’s already over. As shitty as the world can be, a Pile set feels like its antithesis.

-Cameron Stewart