Concert Review: Joywave at Terminal West

Easily Joywave's most destructive show since their infamous June 21st, 2018 performance, the band unleashed the full might of their "Cleanse Tour" on a packed out Terminal West Tuesday night. For fans of Joywave, this will go down as one of their most legendary shows.

The trio is comprised of Daniel Armbruster (lead vocals), Paul Brenner (drums), and Joseph Morinelli (guitar). They also have two touring musicians with them. The band is currently touring in support of their latest album, Cleanse, as well as their pandemic-stricken fourth album Possession. After being rescheduled twice due to the pandemic, this show was cathartic to see live.

Rumors started circling back in late February that Joywave was in need of some openers for their tour, a call to action was later posted on the band's official twitter account. A proposition was made: a Joywave cover band. Ben Skoschella, garnering a whopping ten likes and three retweets in his proposal, took the bait. Over a month later A New Obsession took the stage in Atlanta. Quite possibly the best Joywave cover band in Atlanta, A New Obsession rocked the house with hits like "Construction" and "Repulsion" before being stopped by Joywave's lawyers. They went on to close the night with a cover of Love Handle's hit song "You Snuck Your Way Right Into My Heart." 

Direct support for the show came curtesy of Joe P (stylized joe p). Reliving the golden years of rock with a modern twist, Joe brough and electric performance to the stage. Reminiscent of Jack Antonoff's project Bleachers, both of whom are from New Jersey, Joe P's performance was eccentric and authentic. Guitar riffs brought back memories of Bruce Springsteen as well, another Jersey native. Joe is a former member of the band Deal Casino.

Joywave is just a ton of fun to listen to live. Their music is very often upbeat sonically, even if newer releases have darker undertones pertaining to modern living. "The Inversion" got absolutely wild, loud guitar riffs and intense drumming built up this rager from their latest album. Another highlight was on "Dangerous," a song originally done with Big Data, which featured three members of the band on bass in order to capture the groove on the song. 

Keeping the carwash theme of Cleanse's album artwork, Joywave built a carwash on stage complete with bristles and large orange flaps for the tour. The back half of a Ferrari was also on stage with a custom "Joywave" Georgia license plate. In true Atlanta fashion, the car never used its blinkers. A large video wall stood behind them, projecting carwash suds, clouds, and some trippy visuals throughout the show. The entire lighting and production package was top notch, expertly designed, and synced up precisely with the music. 

It would be silly to recap a Joywave show and not mention their onstage antics. Stage presence is a given, there's a ton of movement and kineticm from the band. Daniel is absurdly sassy, the frontman had some fun banter with members of the crowd throughout the night. The crowd was very involved too, adding fuel to Joywave's beef with the state of Florida by chanting "F*** Florida" unprovoked, much to the band's delight. Eventually the band led the crowd in a "three more songs" chant for their encore, never leaving the stage. 

Not only was Atlanta treated to one of the top ten best Joywave cover bands in the city, but they also got an extra dose of "Destruction" to close out an iconic night. In true Joywave fashion, and without consent of the audience, the band simply played thier hit song a second time exclaiming "Destruction is eternal!" Ben Koschella also made an appearance on the song "Obession" which coincidentally has lyrics eerily similar to A New Obsession's name. Could Joywave be facing legal woes?

          1. Cyn City 2000

          2. Buy American

          3. It's a Trip!

          4. Obsession (ft. Ben Koschella of A New Obsession)

          5. After Coffee

          6. Every Window Is a Mirror

          7. Coming Apart

          8. Half Your Age

          9. Traveling at the Speed of Light

          10. The Inversion

          11. F.E.A.R.

          12. True Grit

          13. Somebody New

          14. Ugly Ending (Best Frenz cover)

          15. Goodbye Tommy

          16. We Are All We Need

          -

          17. Tongues

          18. Dangerous (Big Data cover)

          19. Destruction

          20. Destruction

You still have time to catch Joywave on this run of shows. But you'll have to act fast (and hopefully live in or around New York) to catch them. Their remaining shows are listed below.

          3/30 Nashville, TN — Mercy Lounge*

          4/01 Washington D.C. — 9:30 Club*

          4/02 Philadelphia, PA — Union Transfer*

          4/03 Buffalo, NY — Town Ballroom*

          4/05 Boston, MA — Paradise Rock Club*

          4/06 Brooklyn, NY — Elsewhere Hall*

          4/08 Rochester, NY — Anthology* (SOLD OUT)

          4/09 Rochester, NY — Anthology^*~

          * with joe p

          ^ with Ishmael

          ~ with Televisionaries

Joywave are insane live. They put on an absolutely fantastic show, from production to performance. I cannot recommend them enough. This show in particular was very special with the addition of A New Obsession, possibly a once in a lifetime Joywave show. Destruction is eternal.