Live Review: Socratic

 

By Chandra Johnson

Making their way to The Bitter End, one of NYC’s most famous venues, on September 15^th, Socratic delighted the crowd with an energetic, captivating set. The New Jersey quintet formed around 1999 and has since released three full-length albums and one EP, an achievement that some bands never catch a glimpse of.

With the release of their self-titled album earlier this year, Socratic is a resident pro who doesn’t seem to be slowing down. They’ve even caught the attention of Blink 182 vocalist/bassist, Mark Hoppus, who produced their album, Spread the Rumors, in 2008. The venue was packed out for this band, who was even better live, throughout their entire set- ten carefully selected songs from their various albums.

Opening with ‘Alexandria as Our Lens’ off of their freshmen album, Lunch for the Sky, the crowd was transfixed (the screams and cat-calls did not stop). To the right of the stage, bassist Lou Panico sat on a chair, not as an act of laziness but due to the recent surgery he had to undergo.  After Panico tried to stop a hijacker from stealing his car, his leg was then ran over by the thief, crushing his leg where a metal rod now resides (juicy stuff), and even that didn’t set the band back!

Each Socratic song seems to tell a story…it’s usually a little quirky snippet that’s as catchy as it is entertaining. They also played fan favorite, ‘Flowers in the Garden’ and ‘May I Bum a Smoke,’ filled with cheeky, slightly sarcastic lyrics.  As the band performed ‘Turn’ off of their 2010 EP, Just Turn, the song channeled a Brighten vibe with its slow tempo and beautifully arranged melody. Socratic finished their set strong with ‘Lunch for the Sky,’ leaving the elated crowd with a lasting impression and great expectations of what’s to come.