L’Rain, June McDoom, and Fusilier at Union Pool
On Tuesday, March 28, 2023, L’Rain, June McDoom, and Fusilier performed at Union Pool in Brooklyn. When the show was initially announced, “I Can’t Stand” was listed as the headliner and I reserved a free ticket via Dice despite not knowing who that was as the openers were enough to pique my interest. Later, I saw this tweet from L’Rain which implied she was the headliner and this message confirmed that I had to try to attend. The show didn’t require the tickets issued via Dice; attendees just needed to show up before the venue hit capacity in order to get inside.
Fusilier kicked off the night at 7:45PM. Their latest EP, Treason, was released back in August 2022. Fusilier was the last artist I saw perform on a stage in March 2020 before large gatherings were banned due to COVID-19. Three years later, Fusilier put on a wonderful set to start the show, including a revised version of “Dancing in the Street,” by Martha and the Vandellas.
Up next was June McDoom, another local performer who was accompanied by Evan (on guitar) and Tommie (on organ). June shared that Tommie learned the songs of their set only the night before, and performed “The City,” (the first song McDoom ever released), and the set closer of “On My Way.”
L’Rain’s set began about 9:30PM and would be their last performance before opening for Big Thief in the United Kingdom. Before their fantastic set came to an end, Taja Cheek expressed that this was their first show in Brooklyn in a long time and that Union Pool in particular was a pivotal space that can be traced to what they’ve achieved. When she spoke about this, I thought about the first time I saw and photographed her band at Silent Barn (before they closed in 2018) with Vagabon and the last time I saw the group perform (opening for Animal Collective in March 2022 at Brooklyn Steel) and felt very lucky that I once again was able to see her perform in a small room.