I didn’t wear ear plugs, but this was entirely my mistake. As the lights of Brooklyn Steel dimmed, an ominous energy permeated the crowd – halfway between jittery excitement and impatience. HEALTH, the Los Angeles-based industrial noise outfit, were just about ready to take the stage on a cool March evening in New York City. My foray into HEALTH was in 2015 with the release of DEATH MAGIC, and it was their blend of harsh industrial overtones mixed with a gothic streak that captivated me. Tracks like “STONEFIST” evoked the chaotic intensity of a plane crash with its harsh industrial overtones, while others like “MEN TODAY” conjured images of marching into war with its relentless percussive instrumentation underneath sinister and jagged synths. In any case, I’d been waiting for years to see HEALTH live, and tonight was my chance.

From the opening notes of “IDENTITY,” Brooklyn Steel was transmuted into what felt like an apocalyptic rave. HEALTH, with their deafening volume and unrelenting light show, were hellbent on sensory overload. Mission accomplished – because for the next hour the band ran through a medley of tracks from their discography, from 2023’s RAT WARS, to DISCO4 and 2015’s DEATH MAGIC. Towards the end of the night, singer and guitarist Jake Duzsik announced that there would be no encore, that this was their last song. “Let’s just enjoy this moment now, get it all out now. This is it!” Overall, HEALTH was an exhilarating spectacle that left the audience both exhausted and euphoric.

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Health at Brooklyn Steel photo by Conor Rooney

order tickets for Health HERE