The five-person German indie rock band Giant Rooks performed a sold-out show at Warsaw Concerts in Brooklyn on April 12.
The band, founded in 2014, gained international acclaim as one of the opening acts for Louis Tomlinson on his Faith In The Future World Tour.
Frontman Fred Rabe led the show with his deep gritty voice and impressive vocals, complementing the band’s pop-rock sound. The remaining four members play key roles in songwriting as well as the instrumentation and vocal accompaniments of each song. The band consists of Finn Jonas Schwieters on guitar, Luca Göttner on bass, Jonathan Wischniowski on keys and Finn Thomas on drums.
Giant Rooks’ Warsaw gig is the group’s second sold-out concert in New York City. When tickets went on sale, the April 12 show sold out quickly, leading the band to add another date for April 6, a feat that Rabbe mentioned during the concert along with the band’s gratitude for fans’ continuous support.
Friedberg, an all-female alternative rock band from London, opened the concert. Their performance featured influences of post-punk intertwined with sounds of indie-pop. The band performed a variety of high-energy songs amping up the crowd and feeding off of the euphoric and electric environment.
They sang around seven songs, including their new song “Hello” which was released earlier this year and part of their upcoming debut album.
Giant Rooks started their act with a stunning rendition of “For You,” the opening track from their recent album “How Have You Been?” The song encompasses strong vocals and upbeat instrumentation making for a perfect opener to both the album and the show. The setlist for the night featured a mix of songs from their recent album and their older works like their album “ROOKERY” and EP “New Estate.”
The band is known for their incredible stage presence and ability to conduct a good concert, a sentiment which was reflected through the crowd at Warsaw.
Rabbe took time to interact with the crowd by stepping off of the stage and moving closer to the barricade. Fans at the front of the venue interacted closely with the singer when he went to the floor.
The band intentionally extended a few songs past its original duration to showcase their talented instrumentalists. This time was also used to elicit call-and-response from the audience. The crowd repeated hooks and catchy outros featured on the songs “Bedroom Exile” and “Pink Skies”.
The setlist consisted of 15 songs and an encore. The gig ended with“Wild Stare” and “Watershed,” extended for fan interaction and an all-encompassing end to the night.
