Show Review: Rocket, Been Stellar at Nightclub 101, NYC.
August 5th, 2025.
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"We're at capacity"
August 6th, 2025
We had been jealous for some time of people who had tickets to see Wunderhorse with support from Been Stellar at NYC’s Warsaw. The show was sold out and we weren’t in the mood for the markup market. Then it got cancelled because a member of Wunderhorse was ill. Then, at the last minute, Been Stellar announced a headlining show at the Lower East Side Nightclub 101, with support from Los Angeles rockers Rocket. Tickets were $10, door only, first come first served. We showed up to a line extending outside to the end of the block and after many trials and tribulations, made it inside. Here’s that story:
Making it inside the venue was only the first test. The second test was the second line for tickets that formed in the bar area. The bar was packed, foot traffic convoluted, lines in disarray. Rocket had started playing by the time we got to the front of the ticket line. 3rd from the front, the ticketers announce the show room is at capacity. We spend Rocket’s entire set watching them through the little triangle shaped window glass on the showroom doors, catching a glimpsing blast of sound whenever they briefly swung open from people that were already stamped. And that’s all we can say about Rocket. They looked cool, bummed to have missed it.
Finally, after changeover, the ticketers let us in just in time for Been Stellar's opening notes. We’d been meaning to see them ever since the release of their debut album Scream From New York, NY released last summer. The quintet threw themselves around as a single unified force. It was like the epic soundscapes of The Verve’s Urban Hymns tossed in a blender with the play-it-coolness of The Strokes, mixed together on the LOUD setting. It was a captivating performance that was worth the struggle of entry.
Nightclub 101 is a new venue on the block, opened by the late Billy Jones, founder/owner of Baby’s All Right. It used to be the legendary Pyramid Club, a key fixture of 80’s NYC and the massive waves of LGBTQ/post-punk/no-wave art that flourished there. Now the building finds itself on the front doorstep of St. Marks, NYC’s newest frontier of gentrification. 101’s showroom is drastically improved from its previous state, with proper soundproofing and audio/visual tech. Its vibe is different as well, every black wall has been painted over with white. We stood outside the showroom doors long enough to realize that its triangle shaped windows are probably a nod to its history as the Pyramid Club. We can’t help but wonder, is that all that’s left? Rrrock On, Rrrat Pack, see you around.
| Keywords: | New York City | Nightclub 101 | Rocket | Been Stellar | Pyramid Club |
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