Show Review: Epoxy, My Transparent Eye, and cleo walks through glass at Night Club 101 1/10/26
Flyer for the show. Created by @shrutipoststrash
On a drizzling, dark, and concerningly warm January night in the East Village, my friend Karen and I walk into Night Club 101. Incandescent multi-colored Christmas lights adorn the front door and windows. It’s dim, with sparse warm lighting. The bar is long, backed by a mirror, making the space feel larger than it actually is. People are lined up against the bar and walls, conversing and laughing. As we walk towards the back and enter the venue, we are met with a deep stage and an empty, spacious room. We wait as the room fills up and the show starts.
cleo walks through glass - photo by Sofia Lisena
“kill me next”
First on the bill was cleo walks through glass, an experimental electronic artist. He walked up on stage with only a beer and a laptop on the table, with a mic in hand. Once the music starts, you are transported into the inner-world of the artist, as he sings with so much passion and grit. You can feel his pain while singing; it was almost haunting. Even with the tenderness of his voice, the music was beat-heavy and still danceable, as some people in the crowd moved and had fun with each other. He ended the set with a calmer song of his, allowing the audience to leave the room heavy in thought. cleo walks through glass, set a appropriate mood for the rest of the show.
cleo walks through glass - photo by Sofia Lisena
My Transparent Eye - photo by Karen Larkin
“Soft Fall” - video by Karen Larkin
Next up was My Transparent Eye, an alternative four-piece, woman-fronted band. Their sound was impeccable, defined by very loud, grungy, and fuzzy guitars. You could hear the gothic dark wave and shoegaze influences right off the bat. The lead singer added an ethereal touch to the music with her soft vocals. Although the vocals were quiet, you could still hear them over the guitars due to the venue's excellent sound system. Once one of the guitarists started to sing, it elevated the performance, as both singers harmonized in such a way that it hypnotized the audience. The drums were tight, and the bass added to the groove of the songs. The guitarist on the right was bringing so much intensity to the room with the constant movement around the stage. All of these different elements of the band created a dynamic performance that had me wanting more from them. I will definitely see them again.
My Transparent Eye - photo by Karen Larkin
Epoxy - photo by Karen Larkin
“ihaveseenitend” - video by Karen Larkin
Finally, we had the trio-piece Epoxy end the night. I’ve seen Epoxy before at a house show in Bushwick that made me fall in love with their music, as their performance had such a sense of passion behind it, which is why everyone reading that lives in the NYC area needs to see one of their shows! They stepped on stage with their business attire on and did a quick sound check. As soon as they were ready, the bass occupied the entire room; the audience could feel it in their bones in the best way possible. The loudness of the bass was matched perfectly by the bassist’s energy, as he was constantly moving and jumping around. The lead singer and guitarist engaged the audience with his gritty fry-screams and bantering with people in the crowd. He called people to dance to the song “Friendship,” and people started to move along to its bass-heavy, rhythmic, catchy chorus and post-punk-inspired sound. I wish people had moved during the other songs because they deserved as much movement as the one song they danced to. They played a bunch of their songs off their debut album CIVILIANS! like “Bunny Suicides Calendar 2009” (a personal favorite), “oceans become battlefields, and “Song 2.” They also played an unreleased song called “You Got a License for That Thing” that started pretty mellow in its intro and verse but then dived right into a grungier and grittier chorus that matches the band's more typical sound, which I’m very excited to hear a recorded version that’ll hopefully be put out soon. They ended the night with “Superexploder,” which really leaves a solid impression of how much potential this band has. It will leave you wanting to go to another one of their shows as soon as possible.
Crowd during “Friendship” by Epoxy - photo by Sofia Lisena
After Epoxy finished the show, everyone filed into the bar again while addie aka computerwife, did a DJ set. It was a nice sight to finish off the evening, good music being played, people talking to each other and meeting new people, laughing and sharing stories. Although I’m not fond of bars because I don’t drink, I love going to them and seeing people interact with one another, and Night Club 101 definitely provides the atmosphere for the community.
Each one of these acts is definitely worth seeing. I suggest you go follow them and catch them at a show! You can find each one of them on Instagram @cleowalksthroughglass, @mytransparenteye, @epoxy_nyc, and @addiiiiiiiiie.
