Paste Sessions Brooklyn: Watch English Teacher Perform at Ilegal Mezcal
Paste Studio “On The Road” recently paid a visit to Ilegal Mezcal in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, for a delightful day of music and beverages on the East River. English Teacher came in HOT at 9:30 am, following their show at Bowery Ballroom the night before. The Bowery show happened on the heels of their show at The Atlantis in Washington, D.C. the previous night, and a festival set in The Netherlands two days earlier. Despite the whirlwind tour schedule, they came in ready to work, and they gave us the business. Goddamn savages.
Full Session
All three of the songs in English Teacher’s Paste session can also be heard on their debut album This Could Be Texas, which Paste’s Tom Williams described thusly: “Boasting polished production, an accomplished band, one of the genre’s most versatile and captivating lead vocalists and an impressive range of influences that include indie rock and free jazz, This Could Be Texas is sure to establish English Teacher as a mainstay in both the post-punk genre and the British festival circuit more widely.”
They lead off the session with the first album track, a song called “Albatross.” While I edited the performance live in real time, I was immediately faced with a happy puzzle: Who do I cut to? I mean, it’s fairly clear which instrument is the lead instrument at any given moment, but there is so much happening on the other two instruments at the same time that I find myself tempted to sit on the wide shot and just watch it unfold. Lily Fontaine’s vocals soar, and we are all better off because of it.
“Albatross”
They’re coming back to North America in late summer and early fall 2024, catch ’em if you can:
Sept 10 – PARISH | AUSTIN, TX
Sept 11 – CLUB DADA | DALLAS, TX
Sept 13 – LOCAL 506 | CHAPEL HILL, NC
Sept 15 – TABERNACLE | ATLANTA, GA
Sept 16 – MARATHON MUSIC WORKS | NASHVILLE, TN
Sept 18 – ARAGON BALLROOM | CHICAGO, IL
Sept 20 – COCA-COLA COLISEUM | TORONTO, ON
Sept 21 – MTELUS | MONTREAL, QC
Sept 22 – MTELUS | MONTREAL, QC
Sept 27 – FINE LINE | MINNEAPOLIS, MN
Sept 29 – LARIMER LOUNGE | DENVER, CO
Sept 30 – KILBY COURT | SALT LAKE CITY, UT
Oct 2 – MADAME LOU’S | SEATTLE, WA
Oct 3 – POLARIS HALL | PORTLAND, OR
Oct 6 – RICKSHAW STOP | SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Oct 8 – THE ROXY THEATRE | LOS ANGELES, CA
“Mastermind Specialism”
Big thanks to Lily, Lewis, Douglas, Nicholas, and our friends at Ilegal Mezcal for bringing these sessions to life, and please stay tuned for more Paste x Ilegal sessions to come!
“Nearly Daffodils”
Lily Fontaine – Vocals
Lewis Whiting – Guitar
Douglas Frost – Keys
Nicholas Eden – Bass