Given that she’s only played five shows in a year and a half (so she said), getting to see Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs is a major treat. She headlined at The Knitting Factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on April 16th to a pretty stuffed room for a pared down, country set.
After lengthy opening sets from ethereal, pop folkstress young’n Raye, and the always wacky wildcards The Recordettes (doing their signature crowd favorites “John Waters Can You be My Father?” and “Candy Store”), Holly and her band mate Lawyer Dave (The Brokeoffs) took the stage ever so nonchalantly. Lawyer Dave in his Willie Nelson pigtails and down-to-there beard played guitar with his hands and drums with his feet, while Golightly accompanied on her own guitar.
Opening the show with “Crow State” and “My 45” the two seemed to be having a good time together, flirtatious and laid back, and occasionally sharing little moments of inside jokes between their relaxed, easy-does-it, twang-filled set.
They regaled us with stories about crazy neighbors, living together in a commune full of lazy housemates, and what it’s like to live in a bomb shelter. There was an overall theme both in songs and in stories of escapism, and getting away from the hustle and bustle of the modern day world. Whether it’s raising a barn on a farm or prepping for doomsday, Holly and Dave have tried all kinds of methods for getting away from the maddening crowd. They even played a song about moving to the bottom of the sea (“Bottom Below”).
Playing a nice mix of tunes from all of their records together, including handfuls from No Help Coming, Dirt Don’t Hurt and Nobody Will be There, they were a little rusty to start, but then found their stride and managed it all with lots of laughs. The crowd worshipped them; no matter what key Lawyer Dave decided to play. Hilarious and dark songs like “Escalator” and “Burn o’ Junk Pile Burn” had the audience cracking up, and singing along.
Other stand-outs from the set were “Salt Lake City” (in which they totally shit on the conservative city in the most hysterical way), “Get Out My House”, “Devil Do”, “Indeed You Do” and “Black Night” (a crowd favorite when Holly did it as a ballad).
They finished the show with what they called a “psychedelic medley”, during which they let loose and just jammed, seemingly having a blast doing so. It’s clear that no matter how long it’s been since Holly Golightly has played a show, her fans will never not come out to support her. She could absolutely do no wrong in their eyes, and they would have been grateful to her if she played all night long. Dancing, singing and staring at her, captivated, Holly Golightly’s fans are a loyal bunch, and it sure was nice to be among them.
