Words by Patrick Lacey | Photo by Ken Grand-Pierre

It’s okay everyone, rock n roll has a future. If you need proof, you could have found it at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday night, where The Strypes brought the house down with their own loud version of rhythm and blues. The four teenagers from Ireland crossed the pond for shows in the four biggest markets in the Northeast, the last of which found the youngsters in Brooklyn.

The blues hold a strong influence over The Strypes, made obvious by the band’s fierce guitar riffs and screaming harmonica solos. But they also like to play loud and fast, which was evident in drummer Evan Walsh and bassist Pete O’Hanlon’s performance throughout the night. Lead guitarist Josh McClorey and lead singer Ross Farrelly made sure the crowd was just as energized as they were, with McClorey even telling the mosh pit in the tiny room, ‘You guys in the middle…good job keeping up’.

Featuring mostly songs off their debut album, Snapshot, the set included originals like ‘Mystery Man’, ‘What The People Don’t See’, and ‘I Don’t Want To Know’, as well as covers of Bo Diddley’s ‘You Can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover’ and Howlin Wolf’s ‘Smokestack Lightning’, with their own twist. But it was the highlights ‘What A Shame’ and ‘Blue Collar Jane’ that truly made me believe there is still hope for rock n roll.

The Strypes are talented well beyond their years, and as tight as they are musically, what impressed me the most was their stage presence. Connecting with the audience and playing with a passion that would make Jimi Hendrix or Keith Moon proud, it’s hard to believe these guys couldn’t legally have a beer after the show.

The encore first set the crowd on fire with ‘Rockaway Beach’ by The Ramones, and then found the crowd singing it home with the classic Kingsmen tune, ‘Louie Louie’. It’s safe to say that The Strypes have something going that has to be experienced, and lucky for me, I got to do just that on Saturday night. The rest of you will just have to wait until they come around again. See you there…

www.thestrypes.com

TheWaster.com | BK
8.26.14