Das Damen, the New York band who mixed punk, noise, metal and more and released records via Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace, SST, Twin Tone and Sub Pop, played their first show since 1991 — when they were on tour with Nirvana — on Thursday night at WFMU Monty Hall. The show was in support of Dromedary’s new reissue of their debut EP as well as a warm-up for their appearance at Dromedary’s 30th anniversary celebration this weekend in Hudson, NY.
Despite the 30-year gap, the band returned like no time had passed, with frontman Jim Walters looking and sounding great, still in possession of all the rock moves, and drummer Lyle Hansen crushing his kit. Their set hit most of what you wanted to hear, pulling from their whole catalogue, including college radio classics “Bug,” “Noon Daylight,” “Sad Mile,” and “Trick Question,” which closed out their set. They also threw in a couple covers — The Pretenders’ “The Wait” and The Creation’s “Making Time” — and Walters dedicated a song to Screaming Trees’ Mark Lanegan (who died in 2021) and Van Conner (who died this year) who he was close friends with. Let’s hope this reunion lasts a little longer!
Opening the show was long-running Hoboken psych band The Special Pillow, who just released a cover of Scottish bandT he Poets’ “That’s the Way It’s Got To Be,” which they played Thursday night.
Check out photos by P Squared from the show, along with Das Damen’s setlist and video, below.
Das Damen play Drom30 on Saturday, September 16 at The Avalon & Left Bank Ciders with Antietam, Flower, Sleepyhead and more.
SETLIST: Das Damen @ WFMU Monty Hall 9/15/2023
Gray Isn’t Black
Sad Mile
Pendant
Noon Daylight
Where They All Went
House of Mirrors
Hey, Angel
Firejoke
Chaindrive
Bug
The Wait
Five Five Five
Making Time
Trick Question
