The Misfit Toys Tour @ The Belasco 11/7
Everyone loves a two-in-one situation: dual shampoo/conditioners, laptop/tablet hybrids, combination Taco Bell/Pizza Huts, the two-in-one presents an array of complimentary option for what normally constitutes a standard fare.
Take that one step further, to a three-in-one, and you have the Misfit Toys Tour, featuring ASTR, Holychild & Ryn Weaver.
The tour took place at the Belasco theater, which gives off an impression of an underwater ballroom. With blue lighting dancing off ornate decor, the space exudes an aquatic mystique that felt right with the performers’ living doll theme.
Admittedly, I missed ASTR, much to my own and my friends’ chagrin. I’m sure they delivered but I unfortunately cannot provide witness to that.
Luckily, we arrived just in time for the brat-pop of Holychild. Lead singer, Liz Nistico, paraded across the stage and through the audience, decked out in a neon-green wig and hyper-short denim shorts. Her antics felt right at home with Holychild’s self-described brat-pop, a blend of cutesy & maturity that feels fun while hinting at the provocative.
I must say I found pleasant surprise at Nistico’s ability to carry her own music. I say this because most of Holychild’s recorded material includes layers of voices to create a choir of childish chants, and as such I feared a singular voice may not convey the proper power. However, Holychild proved they slay stages just like they do recording sessions, and they left me charged for Ryn Weaver’s arrival.
Dressed in a goldenrod tunic, Weaver resembled a doll garbed in star-glow, looking like a true misfit knickknack. Both her banter and her movements held a quirkiness typical among those raised in the deluge of Internet culture. It felt relatable rather than forced.
Weaver’s voice chimes like the bells that adorn a court jester, an apt comparison given the title of her debut, The Fool. It reverberates and soars over the crowd, carrying a punch of emotive power. Songs like “Free” and the title track enveloped the atmosphere in euphoria, due to Weaver’s vocals and the Passion Pit-esque production her music.
The end result was nothing short of enchanted, which is how fairy tales should make you feel.
