Slowcore with a southern drawl: that might be the simplest way to describe Hovvdy at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY last night. The Austin-based indie rock duo, fronted by Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, laid it on heavy with the guitars and pedals, allowing their instruments to rumble through the speakers. The booming drums, synth keys, and thick bass all bled together to create a dreamy effect behind Martin’s and Taylor’s inter-changing lead vocals, whose singing styles compare to a modern, Texan take on Midwest emo staples American Football. Overall, Hovvdy on stage sounds like a full-realized version of Hovvdy on records: balancing the stripped and intimate tracks with the more experimental and electric ones, they’re lively, imaginative, skilled, and just as fun to watch as they are to sing along to.

Hovvdy had stepped on the Music Hall stage for the second night in a row, and to their surprise, in front of a whole room of fresh faces. (When they asked how many people came to the March 11 set, nobody reacted.) Professional cameras were stationed everywhere; for the family and friends back home, the band decided to livestream the whole performance. “I guess I gotta make the mic stand taller,” Taylor joked, saying that all the concert footage from the night before showed the tall front man playing in a slight squat. He later remarked, “Yeah, this whole night is gonna be recorded forever.”

Video Age opened up for Hovvdy, warming the crowd up with a solid indie rock set. Playing some songs from their existing records, as well as some new ones, the band established a groovy, steady beat and kept it going throughout. From the start, the band demonstrated their refreshing ingenuity. Between each song on the setlist, they’d play either a humming synth chord or pre-recorded waiting music—whatever could prevent the energy from dying down.

Though simple, it’s extremely effective in keeping us engaged while they toil away at tuning their instruments, and it’s a small, neat trick that had never occurred to me before. Furthermore, Video Age isn’t afraid to get creative with their sound. Mixing some rock revival (think The Strokes or Franz Ferdinand) with a bit of surf, Richard Hell, and some early-aughts nu-disco, the New Orleans band felt exciting to experience live. They gave us fantastic guitar solos, impressive and seemingly limitless transformation of the keys into synthesized saxophones, strings, or any other “unconventional” instrument needed for the song, and a thumping, resonant bass.

Hovvdy seems to have a strong, enthusiastic following in New York’s indie music scene. A sea of baseball caps, flannels, loose jeans, and leather jackets became the backup vocalists on pretty much every song, even singing entire choruses for the band during their 2024 Self-Titled record’s most popular tracks like “Make Ya Proud,” the first song on the setlist, “Jean,” and “Clean.” A casual fan of Hovvdy would have had a blast at their concert; a super-fan would’ve had the time of their life. Their energy was infectious: Martin and Taylor invited friends on stage to play tambourine, danced along together during the instrumental breaks in their songs, and oftentimes played right to the cameras or creeped to the edge of the stage for moments of

crowd work. Even during the quieter, acoustic, and tender tracks like “Big Blue” and “Blindsided,” they captured the full attention of their audience, projecting to the back of the balconies with their silky and twangy harmonies, occasional yet effective (and chilling) use of autotuned mics, and amped up guitars.

With slower, more reverb-heavy bands, it’s tricky sometimes to judge whether or not one had fun. Sure, the lush soundscape, coupled with the excellency of the band playing, guarantees a night of stimulation and appreciation for all the noises an electric instrument can make, but sometimes that kind of experience can be overwhelming. This was not the case with Hovvdy: from the crowd-pleasing anthems, to the intimate, lyrical ballads, they held onto all their dreamy, experimental flairs while also rocking out.

words by Victoria Borlando
photos by Bobby Nicolas III

Hovvdy live at The Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY March 12, 2025 photo by Bobby Nicholas lll

order tickets for Hovvdy HERE