Riverside w/ The Cyberiam - Sony Hall 3/16/23

Tragically I was unable to see Riverside at their previous Manhattan visit last year at Gramercy Theatre. Instead I was able to make up for this at the subterranean Sony Hall just off Times Square and Broadway as they toured off of ID. Entity with half of The Cyberiam last Thursday. This show was one of the best I’ve ever seen, especially on Riverside’s part.

Fittingly billed as The Cyberiam Duo, singer/guitarist Keith Semple and bassist/vocalist Brian Kovacs played their own stripped back and solid set to open. As Semple laid down the rhythm with a personal electronic kick pedal, the two winded through a mix of old and new material seemingly chosen to pick at the audience’s brains with their lyrics.

Riverside’s set was focused on ID. Entity, stripping back some of the synths and showing the connection the LP has with their live sound. While otherwise keeping to the tour’s standard setlist, they spiced up “Post-Truth” with an interpolation of “Caterpillar and the Barbed Wire” . Of course, they got the biggest cheers of the night with their rousing and resplendent versions of older cuts like Anno Domini High Definition’s “Left Out” and “Egoist Hedonist”, which were the highlights of my evening. The band was in top form and truly enjoyed themselves as they winded through their performance.

Speaking of which, part of the majesty of Riverside’s show was their warmth, joy, and connection to the crowd. Mariusz was a consummate frontman and engaged with us at every turn, alongside the obvious bonds between the band members. Riverside were a joy to watch, and left on a high note with an extended encore of the killer new cut “Self-Aware” and the vintage “Conceiving You”.