Show Review: Lip Critic, Fantasy of a Broken Heart, Public Circuit at Music Hall of Williamsburg, NYC.
July 16th, 2026.
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“Shake some ass”
July 18th, 2026
On Thursday we were deep in New Jersey at 4:00PM when we got a reminder alert on our phone that we had two tickets to Lip Critic’s sold out Brooklyn show at 8:00PM. Our whiskers quivered in disbelief. Rats can’t yet fly but we damn near did to get to the Music Hall of Williamsburg to see Public Circuit, Fantasy of a Broken Heart, and Lip Critic bring down the house. We’re a day late and more than a few dollars short in publishing this review, but it’s one worth memorializing. Here’s what we remember:
We walked into the main room to see Public Circuit in the middle of a trigger sample jam. The emphasis on drums and synth made us imagine a moodier Matt and Kim, half live band/half analog dance party. Right after we had this thought, the rhythm transformed into a double time DnB vibe, obliterating the Matt and Kim comparison. We had to skip the last song because our cell was dead but could hear well from the basement bar and appreciated their live stage feed casted onto several TVs.
Fantasy of a Broken Heart was loud, loungy, groovy. There was no shortage of funky rhythms, like a samba at one point and other left of center percussion. The vocal texture reminded us of the crisp baritone of Her’s What Once Was (RIP). We were new to this group but could tell they were experienced, learning afterward that they’re also members of Water from Your Eyes and This is Lorelei. By the time they finished the crowd was simmering.
We missed Lip Critic's laundromat gig, and their boxing ring gig. We were determined not to miss this one and were standing center floor for the walkout. Ignorance is bliss and we truly did not know what to expect, but it wasn’t the instantaneous pandemonium that broke out the second their first beat hit the room. Like a shotgun blast, the whole middle floor went from stationary to full body mosh immediately. We were shoved and ricocheted fifteen feet closer to the stage before we could even register what was happening. Center floor remained chaotic for the entire set, at all times there was at least someone crowd surfing or stage diving. Two drummers and relentless ass-shaking bass will do that to you.
It was a local celebration, every group was a homegrown NYC act. Artists took a quick moment in their sets to pay their respects to the Music Hall of Williamsburg, which will be closing its doors at the end of 2026. Our list of dead venues continues to grow… If you missed the show check out the tasty highlight clips from AVD & C.C. here. Summer's dog days are approaching, hope you’re planning to sweat it out soon at some other gig. See you around, Rrrat Pack.
| Keywords: | New York City | Music Hall of Williamsburg | Lip Critic | Fantasy of a Broken Heart | Public Circuit |
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