I first came across Crush in 2022 at Zebulon. It was an interesting situation that resulted in that first encounter. A band called Clark And The Himselfs had a September residency at The Echo. There was a dispute that I won't get into as I obviously don't know the details. The end result was that the residency ending sooner than anticipated. Zebulon was kind enough to pick up the remaining part of the residency. Also playing that night was a personal favorite Laena of Feels and The Like fame.
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| Crush at Zebulon |
I caught the band again in 2023 when they played with the favorite line-up duo of Gold Star and Mercedes Kilmer at Gold-Diggers. I say favorite line-up duo, because it does seem that the two enjoy playing shows together.
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| Crush at Zebulon |
For those wondering, Crush is a side project of two members of the The Black Lips, Zumi Rosow and Cole Alexander.
Strangely, I did not catch this band in 2024 as it does seem like I had established a tradition of catching this band once a year. It only took the first month of 2025 to get back into the groove and catch a set. Like 2022, it was also at Zebulon. The night started off amusingly. Sound check was running late. The night was supposed to start at 8:30 p.m., but when I arrived the curtains to the venue were still closed as well as the doors (Zebulon has a cafe in the front and the venue in the back for those who aren't in the know.) To emphasize the fact that the venue was still not ready for the crowd, there was a velvet rope across the entrance. One could hear the sound check through the closed doors. Well, that didn't stop a handful of people -- both young and old from looking at the night's schedule that was taped to the wall and just assume that the show had already started and walk right pass the velvet rope, curtains, and closed door. They all promptly could be seen exiting the venue.
The night didn't start until around 9:20 p.m. with Crush being the first band up. The band started things off with what Rosow called their variety show. The duo went from experimental punk to rap to country. The packed crowd did not mind the variety show what so ever. What I always love about a Crush show is Rosow playing the saxophone. She did so for the first couple songs. One has to make a comment about her fashion choices as it was (to me) obviously intentional. Around her neck was a ruff collar -- that was worn traditionally in the 1600s -- but instead of hers being made from cloth it appeared to be made out of either metal or plastic. She wore a tight body suit paired with a leather corset. The final touches were red socks and glitter covered shoes.
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| Crush at Zebulon |
Meanwhile, Alexander was his normal ADHD self. He was a frenzy of activity in his white suit that was highlighted with a chain wrapped around his neck and dangled down to his waist. He went from getting the tracks started, to singing, to sending off requests to the sound guy. He bounced across the stage that sent him to his knees at times like a revival pastor.
I think for the first time, I saw the band expand from two to three, bringing up a guest drummer to help out with a couple songs.
Perhaps not all that noticed by the crowd, but Rosow constantly went down to her knees next to a glass filled with water. It went okay for awhile, but eventually she knocked it over. She used two 8.5 x 11 papers that had some lyrics written on them to mop up a little bit of the water.
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| Crush at Zebulon |
There was an amusing moment from the crowd. During the set, one fan yelled her enthusiasm. I guess she felt that people around her didn't approve of her yelling as she said, "It used to be okay to yell at a concert."
Setlist: A Woman, Rap, Country, Come On Blood, Fuck Me Forever (Connie Lingus cover -- yeah, I get it), G4 So Groovy, Lucky, Crackled Young, Holy Bed, Born To Be Bad.
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