There is something on the mind of the blonde half of crunkcore duo Breathe Carolina at Friday night's packed and sweaty the Studio At Webster Hal gig. "I'm 26 years old", Kyle Even states near the begriming of their set. "That's as old as… the guys I went to High School with." Looking out at a sea of bobbing, bubbling, affectionate teens, it seems to have dawned on him the difference in age. And while he shrugs it off, the subject seems to be hidden behind the night. The black haired half, David Schmitdt mentions that Breathe Carolina have been doing this for five years and the two seem dazzled by the passing of time. The average fan would've been 12 years old five years ago.
If these rare moments of introspection are a leitmotif for Breathe Carolina , two and a half weeks into a tour to push their third album Hell Is What You Make It, it is still all subtext. The text is the two plus muscling up backing band, who record electro pop and play on stage a variation on hardcore. The pop moods of the late played "I'm Not The Type of Person Who Takes This Personal" a pop emo track Panic could've written, are the rarity. Everything else is full throttle, no nonsense hard rock with pulsating bass and rock and roll hardness which runs roughshod on their grasp on melody. At odds with their failed romance lyricism, the duality works any way.
For 45 minutes, Breathe Carolina were a study in artistic professionalism. The pacing immaculate, the audience rapport a study in control, they were so good that at the end they interrupted a two hit medley with a slow one. Why? Because they would've peaked a song too early if they hadn't forced the audience to take a break.
Ah yes, the audience. Hot and sweaty teen girls invade the stage, Kyle lets them sing a line with arm around their shoulder, points them to a big bruiser in the wings, and off they go. It was amazing, the difference between proximity and chaos. The duo are friendly but a little distant, it is improvised yet choreographed and the kids are fortunate to be in front of such pros. The band give out a lot but they maintain their passions where they should be: in the music.
Breathe Carolina close with "IDGAF" followed by the (relatively) slow number and then their "MTV Buzzworthy" "Blackout" about tackling a drinking problem. I'd have closed with the "IDGAF"; its purely cathartic chorus has the entire audience screaming "I Don't Give A Fuck" and the dance floor literally vibrating dangerously as they jump and roar their appreciation.
After the gig a young boy turns to his girlfriend. "That was the best concert, I've ever seen" he claims.
"And you didn't want to go. I had to force you."
"The best concert I've ever seen" he repeats, shaking his head in surprise, as though his body can't believe what he has just seen.
I guess Kyle isn't too old for it after all.
Grade: A-