HERE for NY: Festival Review

by Ted Schmiedeler

Eclectic is the best word I can use to describe HERE for NY, a festival hosted by HERE at the Knockdown Center on February 10, 2024. With performances from Vegyn, Eartheater, underscores, RXK Nephew, and more, HERE for NY had it all for any music lover tapped into the alternative music scene. HERE did a fantastic job bringing together a variety of genres into one festival without losing the cohesion of clashing crowds that often can plague larger festivals. Further, the target audience was clear. It was not fans of hip hop or hyperpop, but generally alternative or experimental music lovers at large. And it worked. Quite well.

First and foremost, the Knockdown Center was an excellent location to host such a festival. Despite how difficult it is to reach by train from Manhattan, it hosts two different stages, allowing multiple artists to perform at the same time without losing the intimacy of a small venue.

I began the night by watching Liv.e’s set. I enjoyed it, even if I did not fully understand it. It was a unique take on R&B that was not afraid to experiment, and it served as a laidback way to begin the evening before the more raucous sets that would follow. Perhaps it was a touch too chill, as I did find myself bored at points during the set, but the crowd was still entering the venue, so the energy from the crowd was not being reciprocated back to Liv.e quite like it was intended to.

Next, RXK Nephew and his Crack Records collective rocked the house with a high-energy set that was my most anticipated performance of the night. I came in with high expectations, and the crew far exceeded them. RXK Nephew took the lead, performing his hits, engaging with the crowd, signing a record brought to him mid-performance, and displaying his famous “money-rag” to a crowd of fans chanting “RXK! RXK!” However, he brought out 10-15 members of his Crack Records collective who added verses, ad-libs, dances, and more to crank up the energy. The peak of this performance was “Critical,” arguably Nephew’s biggest hit, which was capped off with a member of Crack Records bringing a bottle of Hennessy down into the crowd and pouring it into people’s mouths. You would never see that at a mainstream festival! The only downside of this set was that Nephew did not perform his 9-minute masterpiece “American tterroristt.” This song explores existentialism, religion, and Nephew’s upbringing in a self-aware, reflective manner. My guess would be that due to a short set time Nephew could not carve out 9 minutes for a song that is lower energy than most of his body of work. Other than that, I know for a fact that many of the uninitiated crowd members walked away from that set as converts to Crack Records.

Following RXK Nephew’s set, I saw Alice Longyu Gao, a hyper-pop artist with meteoric potential due to their immense creativity and lack of fear of being themselves. Alice played their harp, sang their songs, and danced with (and in) the crowd, who responded by shouting their lyrics back alongside them. They spoke directly to the crowd in between songs, allowing their personality to shine through. Standout performances include the danceable “Come 2 Brazil” and a take of her hit song “Rich B**** Juice” that swapped the original instrumental for the one from Bladee’s “Be Nice 2 Me.” The crowd never knew what was coming next and embraced every second of it. to the scheduling, which could have been more conscious of the overlapping target audience of artists with conflicting set times.

After this, I was able to catch the end of underscores’ set, an artist who I have experienced before live and never fails to deliver. The last track performed, “Locals (Girls like us),” seemed to especially connect with the crowd. Feature artist gabby start was brought out as a guest, lighting up the already enthusiastic crowd. The lighting on this set in particular was superb, cultivating a chaotic environment that mirrored the energy of the music.

DJ Dave performed a DJ set following Alice on the small stage. She is unique in her use of code to execute her sets. While I was not able to go to this performance of hers, my prior experience at her shows (I saw her when she opened for Danny Brown & Jpegmafia back in August) compelled me to give her a nod. Eartheater performed a dreamy set that I was only able to catch the beginning of, and Vegyn headlined with a DJ set that I was sadly unable to attend.

All in all, the talent at this festival showed up and showed out. The curation was fantastic, and the ticket pricing was quite affordable for the value provided. The one major critique I have of HERE for NY was the placement of artists on the schedule itself. RXK Nephew and 454 were two rappers that I would have liked to see but were scheduled to perform at the same time. Alice Longyu Gao and underscores were the two hyper-pop acts performing and the two acts I was most looking forward to after RXK Nephew. Sadly, I could not see them both due

That being said, I cannot help but commend HERE for their dedication to platforming upand-coming artists alongside local businesses and pop-ups. HERE writes on its website, “HERE is a project that aims to create positive change around the various causes individuals and organizations are here for.” They displayed a statement on the screen behind the stage during breaks in the sets labeling their work as “hyper-local” and this commitment was felt. Vendors sold interesting pieces of clothing and items, and I connected with Rambler Magazine, a youth cultural magazine that throws events in various cities across the world.

HERE for NY left me not only a bigger fan of the artists I saw, but also helped me connect with a local community of music lovers who are not afraid to embrace the experimental. I hope HERE continues to host this festival in the future, and I recommend it for anyone interested in alternative, experimental music of all kinds.