Photo courtesy of Cavetown
Hustling in from the biting cold of the Brooklyn sidewalk, fans clad in yellow shirts and beanies filled Webster Hall on Friday, Nov. 8, to see the first night of Cavetown’s two New York performances. The sold-out show pushed up toward the barricade to get a better look at the stage, accented by various lamps, a couch and an old box TV, which would later play videos of singer Robin Skinner’s cat, Fig.
What started as home videos uploaded to YouTube from a Northern England bedroom has become a series of tours across Europe and the U.S. Silhouetted by yellow lights and clad in an oversized sweater with a rainbow guitar strap slung over his shoulders, Skinner, better known as Cavetown, led a choir of swaying teens to a rendition of his hit song “Lemon Boy.”
The show began as bassist Austin Thomas, known as Spookyghostboy, played several heartfelt songs about sleeping in cars and leaving jackets in hospitals while bathed in blue light. His somber performance and soft indie vibes were followed by the country-inspired finger plucking and harmonica playing of Field Medic, a self-described “freak folk” singer. With yellow light accenting his orange hair, he looked out over the audience. “If anyone wants to cut their hair into a mullet, you definitely should. It makes you look instantly cool,” he said while smiling behind an orange mustache.
As Cavetown took the stage, the soft beginning chords of his ukulele quelled the screaming of fans in the audience. Haloed by white light, Cavetown opened with his song “Hug All Ur Friends,” reminding each audience member to enjoy the time they have with the people around them. He then went on to perform notable songs like “Green,” about moving on and hoping that the people he’s known are doing well, and “Just Add Water,” which he began by gently telling the crowd that self-care sometimes means doing something difficult.
Emotion filled the music hall with each song that was played, with audience members swaying slowly to classics like “This Is Home,” a song about cutting one’s hair and getting better that delivered a message so deeply felt within the crowd that sniffles could be heard in between the lyrics.
The slow, heartfelt songs which have so fully encapsulated Skinner’s music in recent years were accented by the flashing lights and lively energy of more up-tempo songs like “Lemon Boy,” “Devil Town” and “Boys Will Be Bugs,” to which the audience screamed the lyrics with fervor.
The energy at Cavetown shows, characterized by Skinner’s frequent checking in on the audience to make sure everyone is doing well, is unparalleled. Rainbow flag in hand, Skinner walked up to the edge of the stage for the much-anticipated lines, “I feel stupid, ugly / Pretend it doesn’t bother me,” from “Boys Will Be Bugs,” where audience members echo the words “stupid” and “ugly” in unison. As the song built up toward the end, the large looming disco ball flashed to life and bubbles rained down from overhead, signaling the end of the performance.
As the stage went black and the audience cried for an encore, Skinner assumed his position at the front one last time, ukulele in hand and illuminated by a single white light. The show ended with “Fool,” a song about love, as Skinner played his ukulele the way he had in so many YouTube videos before this whole thing started.
