Sharp Pins played TV Eye

A massive winter storm could only delay Sharp Pins' latest New York City show, but certainly not cancel it, and 24 hours later the band rocked TV Eye to a sold out crowd ready to let loose some pent up energy.

2025 was a big year for Kai Slater. After reissuing his first solo album as Sharp Pins to a wider audience in the spring, he followed it up with a sprawling sophomore record in the fall. In between those albums, his other band Lifeguard dropped their debut album as well. As tastemakers in a rising Chicago scene, Slater and his bands have drawn lots of acclaim whether it be for the more angular post-punk sounds of Lifeguard or the melancholic jangle pop with Sharp Pins, and as a main figure of both groups, he certainly seems to be rising to the occasion. As the band took to the stage at TV Eye in Ridgewood, Queens on Monday, the packed room was chomping at the bit to bop along to the power pop punk that the band has so sweetly captured on both of their records and within no time, it felt like the entire crowd was moving and grooving to these wistful tunes. Ragged chords and blown-out psych-pop gave every number a paisley swirl of trippy delusions and technicolor choruses that all felt like they were ready to burst with promise. Slater's knack for mixing lo-fi charm with proto-punk's rough edges gives new flashes of energy to the future spirit of rock and roll and this performance really tipped the scales in their favor. Shaggy melodies and understated harmonies really push their sound towards something bigger, allowing their pop tendencies to shine through with vivid colors while Slater's twelve-string guitar added lush textures over deep bass lines. Channeling the colorful haze of '60s Laurel Canyon vibes and coating it with discordant fuzz of punk's underground glam, the night was equal parts free-spirited grooves as it was a primer in youthful, rebellious spirit. Songs like "You Have a Way," brought out more jangly melodies while other let the band rip into more rapid-fire bursts of shredding guitar. The band wasted almost no time on stage, tuning quickly between songs and introducing the band before referring to the crowd, "I'm Kai or Sharp Pins and you all are the Pinheads, right?" Closing out the set with "I Can't Stop," put the set over the edge and the crowd really leaned into it, fists in the air to pump along on every beat, a moment when it felt like witnessing a band on the verge of making it big, stepping out onto bigger stages with a robust catalogue of beloved tracks. If 2025 was a big year for Slater, there's no telling what the future might hold, but it's hard to believe things aren't going to keep looking up.

Set list:

01 "Circle All the Dots"
02 "Every Time I Hear"
03 "All the Prefabs"
04 "Ex-Priest"
05 "Popafangout"
06 "You Have a Way"
07 "Takes So Long"
08 "Storma Lee"
09 (Unknown) [New song]
10 "Everyone Forgot But You"
11 "When You Know"
12 "Don't Have The Heart"
13 "Fall in Love Again"
14 "Bye Bye Basil"
15 "(In a While) You'll Be Mine"
16 "I Wonder Where You Hide All Your Love"
17 "I Can't Stop"
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18 "Is It Better"