Winter in New York City can feel more brutal at times than in other parts of the world, which is pointed out by Pom Poko midway through their set at Baby’s All Right on Tuesday night as guitarist Martin Tonne and drummer Ola Djupvik sought out some warmer layers. This surprised me, considering the band hails from Oslo—a city 19 degrees of latitude north of NYC. Tonne must’ve sensed my confusion because he quickly followed up by telling us that they ‘are from Norway but [they’re] not very tough.” This didn’t stop the venue from filling up for Pom Poko’s first show in New York since they played New Colossus Festival in 2022 and their first New York date as part of their debut North American tour.
Much like their music, Pom Poko’s show felt like we were dynamically weaving through big musical breaks and complicated, intimate vocal-driven moments. To guide us through this weave, lead vocalist Ragnhild Fangel plays the role of a conductor as she sings—using intricate hand and arm gestures to shape the quieter moments. As the music got bigger, she threw herself into the noise, jumping and dancing alongside her bandmates.
The crowd was more than ready to jump, dance, and mosh alongside Pom Poko, especially after Nashville-based Big Bill kicked off the night with a blistering set. Their high-energy performance set the tone for the evening as they leaped into the crowd multiple times, crowd-surfed, and spent the final song balancing on the side railing of the venue. I worked up a sweat just trying to keep up.
After taking us through different songs from their discography—with the focus of the night being on their newly-released album Champion—Fangel ended the night with a crowd surf during “If U Want Me 2 Stay.” This was Pom Poko’s last show of the first part of their North American tour before returning to Europe, where they will continue touring across the EU and UK. From: https://northerntransmissions.com/review-pom-poko-live-in-new-york-city/
