Let’s get one thing straight — Goth Babe is not what you’re expecting based on the tongue-in-cheek band name.
No, there isn’t an eyeliner-laden beauty grabbing your attention onstage at a Goth Babe show; rather, front and center is scruffy, charismatic frontman 25-year-old Griff Washburn.
Goth Babe — really the moniker of bedroom pop wunderkind Washburn, along with a tight two-piece touring band — sounds a little like if Beirut met Odesza, and the two of them downloaded LCD Soundsystem’s synth presets.
And they put on a rousing show.
On a brisk Cinco de Mayo evening, the three-piece outfit performed a laid-back yet energetic 15-song set at New York City’s Rooftop at Pier 17 inspiring an audience made up of college-age Gen Z’ers, elder Millennials and everything in between to bliss out to the group’s mellow yet melodic dream pop.
To kick the evening off, Goth Babe grabbed hold of the crowd’s attention with arguably their most goosebump-inducing track.
The trick worked like a charm.
“New Born Worlds,” easily Goth Babe’s most ethereal bop, turned heads.
What was this mythical sound taking over the rooftop?
As soon as the the ensemble’s thumping drum launched mid-track, toes were tapping, heads were nodding, smiles were washing over faces.
This is what we came for — this is why you see your favorite bands live.
Following the otherworldly opening number, Washburn addressed the crowd.
His boyish voice didn’t quite match the assured, deep timbre of his vocals much to my surprise — he was more playful, friendly, ready to banter with the crowd, which he did.
Yes, crowd surfing came up.
It’s that kind of a concert.
After receiving consent, Washburn found a willing participant who climbed atop an inflatable watermelon.
At this point, the venue stopped broadcasting the band from their larger-than-life monitors; now, all eyes were on our youthful crowd surfer.
She was having the time of her life and so was the now raucous crowd. We were onboard for every whim of the set — whether it be low-key acoustic campfire jams, banger anthems or trippy interludes — we were ready to go along for the ride.
Toward the end of the upbeat 90-minute concert, the band asked the crowd to get low to their hypnotic encore closer “Weekend Friend.”
You could feel the hesitation from the crowd — most of us had aching knees (my friend’s hips hurt) — but with a bass line that catchy, sometimes you just can’t say no.
When the beat dropped, the crowd jumped and suddenly it wasn’t a chilly spring evening anymore — a warm feeling came over us all when we sprung up for the chorus.
Moments later, the show was over and pre-recorded music played over the speakers but the grins stayed on the crowd’s faces long after we were ushered out the venue.
Forget literal goth babes — this is the Goth Babe to keep your eye on.
Final verdict: Goth Babe shows are a chill, good vibes time. We can’t recommend hearing his catchy, synth-y hooks live enough.
See or Skip: Definitely see the band IRL before they blow up.
Goth Babe tickets
You can find tickets for all 21 upcoming Goth Babe ‘Lola Tour’ dates here.
Goth Babe set list
Want to see if Goth Babe plays your favorite tracks on tour?
You can find all set lists from the ongoing tour courtesy of Set List FM.
Below, you’ll find what he played on Friday, May 5.
01.) “New Born Worlds”
02.) “Moments/Tides”
03.) “Colours”
04.) “I Wanna Help Your Mind”
05.) “Alone in the Mountains”
06.) “Casita”
07.) “Encinitas” (Goth Babe & Louis the Child cover)
08.) “Sometimes”
09.) “Taking Over The Sun”
10.) “Canary Islands”
11.) “The Trees”
12.) “End Summer”
13.) “I’m in Luv”
Encore:
14.) “Driving South”
15.) “Weekend Friend”
Indie rockers on tour in 2023
Goth Babe not coming to your city?
If that’s the case, here are just five dynamite acts that might solve that Goth Babe-sized concert hole in your heart.
• Death Cab For Cutie with The Postal Service
• Modest Mouse with Pixies and Cat Power
• The Cure
• LCD Soundsystem with boygenius and Steve Lacy
Want to see who else is on the road? Check out our list of the 52 biggest artists on tour in 2023 here.