By: Tyler O’Neil

Hearing people say “PVRIS is blowing up” is almost cliché in 2016 but it’s so true. The electronic rock band from Lowell, Massachusetts took on sold-out Webster Hall on June 8th, and proved they are a force to be reckoned with. Vocalist Lyndsey Gunnulfsen made a comment about how they’ve played the venue multiple times prior but in different sections. For all of you that aren’t familiar with the layout of Webster Hall, the venue is made up of three different concert rooms with each having a different capacity amount.

The Studio is the smallest with a 400 person capacity, the Marlin Room is in the middle with 600, and the largest is the Grand Ballroom with 1500. In a matter of a few years PVRIS has gone from opening the smallest room to headlining and selling out the largest. It’s inspiring to say the least.

PVRIS is made up of vocalist/guitarist Lyndsey Gunnulfsen, guitarist/keyboardist Alex Babinski, bassist/keyboardist Brian Macdonald, and touring drummer Justin Nace. Before the members hit the stage there was a giant backdrop of the mirror, from the cover of their debut album White Noise, flashing on and off to build up anticipation.

With the black and white style the band has been going with for the last few years, it made sense for each member to be donning all black clothing when they came out. The first song of the night, and first in the track listing of the album, was “Smoke” and both the band and crowd were absolutely amped up. This prominent and catchy vocal, synth and bass guitar track got the fans head-banging, singing, jumping and everything in between.

Standout songs from the night were the popular hits like “St. Patrick” and “My House” because those seemed to have across the board massive crowd reaction. Some of my personal favorites though were “Mirrors,” “Only Love,” and “Fire.” “Mirrors” was the second song of the night and kept things rolling in a catchy manner. When the synth part leads into the chorus you couldn’t help but just bob your head. “Only Love” stood out for me because it only featured Lynn and Alex and was the slowest song of the night. It was perfectly placed in the set to give everyone time to relax and mellow out. Lastly, “Fire” showcased powerful, fierce vocals and not putting the title of the track to shame. The band definitely had a “fire” burning inside of them.

Overall, this set was tight: the vocals were never pitchy, there were no noticeable mess-ups when it came to instrumentation, and the in between song batter was natural and fun. What more could you really ask for from a band? They knew when to be serious and they knew when to have crowd involvement and that makes them true entertainers. It’s also incredible to see each band member act so humble and thankful with their recent influx of popularity. PVRIS deserves your support.

Keep up-to-date on PVRIS news, touring, and music here!

Pick up the deluxe version of White Noise on iTunes here!