Last night was the grand finale for Diamond Nights’ four-week residency at NYC’s hotspot The Delancey. The setting was just right for an evening of rock, crammed in a packed, smoke-filled basement, feeling sweaty and drunk. My knowledge of Diamond Nights was very limited, as I had only heard a couple of their songs, and have never seen them live before. With no expectations, I was ready to get my rock on. Slated to go on at 11:30pm, the set time got pushed up to nearly 12:30. As they crowd got anxious, a bit grumpy, and more wasted, the vibe in the room was that of potential chaos. When the band finally took the stage, the room erupted into a rock frenzy. There was dancing, fists in the air, and the consumption of much more beer.
After watching Diamond Nights live, I can see the chemistry that may turn them into huge rock stars. They have the perfect balance of indie cool to keep the hipsters dancing, and enough pure rock to keep the devil horns up in the air. A bit of the Strokes, some Burning Brides, a touch of 80’s pop, and some great songwriting left yours truly damn impressed. “The Girl’s Attractive” is the indie version of what The Cars would be in 2005. The perfect fusion of indie, rock, and pop. Hands down the best song of the night was “Saturday Fantastic”. Big, chunky guitar riffs and an addictive chorus could make this a big-ass radio hit. “Whoah… yeah fuck the inclimate weather” was a line that every New Yorker related with last night.
I stumbled out of The Delancey half drunk, smelling like an ashtray, and very satisfied. Diamond Nights are the real deal, and will be releasing an EP in early March, followed by a full-length album this fall. Diamond Nights are proof that rock is still alive and well in NYC.
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