Show Review: Kim Gordon at Nightclub 101, NYC.
June 18th, 2026.
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Music royalty returns to the stage
June 19th, 2026
It was the quintessential New York City day. I joined the flood of people at the Knicks Championship parade this morning that the NYPD reported saw over 2 million fans. I then spent a few hours jamming at my apartment, and hit the warm summer streets again to end up at the legendary Nightclub 101 to see the queen of alternative music Kim Gordon’s live set. This club, formerly known as the Pyramid Room, was the first place Sonic Youth saw Nirvana play in New York City in 1990. After sparking a friendship with the band that night, Nirvana would go on to tour with Sonic Youth in ‘91 before Nevermind became a global phenomenon.
While I was in line for the show, Kim and some of her bandmates casually strolled by chatting, a random person on the street wouldn’t have batted an eye. But the 73-year-old is one of the most important female figures in rock music, and Sonic Youth proved to the world that alternative music had a right to be signed to a major label. This laid the framework for grunge, post-punk and other subgenres to explode into the world. Saying that Kim is a “veteran” in this realm is a criminal undersell. Her influence on the music industry, gender roles, and art experimentation, an envelope she’s still pushing, makes her one of art’s greatest figures of the last 50 years.
Kim Gordon hit the stage donning newly-crowned NBA Champion Jalen Brunson’s blue No. 11 jersey, an homage to her deep NYC roots and the Knicks’ parade that morning. The intimacy of Nightclub 101 conjoined with the music royalty status of Gordon left the crowd speechlessly respecting the weight of the moment, almost like everyone in the room had stumbled upon a great secret and didn’t want to ruin a second of it. The band opened with the album’s title track, Play Me, which blends grooving hip-hop loops with Gordon’s distinctive punk, spoken-word vocal style.
They would go on to play the album completely in order, a move rarely seen anymore. Kim beefed with the backing video lights for a bit: she wore sunglasses given from the crowd, took them off, asked what the point of the video was anyway, and then scrapped the whole thing, which gave a more raw experience that felt more Kim Gordon-esque. As the room got sweatier, the guitars got washier. Distortion and droning tracks backed by some phenomenally tight and powerful drumming gave the set a solid balance between hip hop and alternative, industrial rock. The on-the-nose lyrics questioned some of modern society’s confusing decisions, including AI usage, humanity moving to Mars, and, of course, the government.
After playing through the entirety of Play Me, Gordon played five more tracks from her other solo albums. Tracks like Psychedelic Orgasm resembled some of the aggressive sounds that Sonic Youth once channeled, but uniquely featured Gordon using autotune for vocal diversity. The crowd buzzed every time Kim picked up the six-string and wailed away for added distortion on certain tunes. Nearing the end of her set, she was wrapping the orange guitar cable around her head while giving her signature cryptic vocal delivery. She closed the set with Cookie Butter, an industrial styled track that evolves into a massive guttural fuzz guitar that drones on for minutes. A very Kim Gordon way to end a Kim Gordon show.
No matter what genre the music is, Kim Gordon is distinctively herself. Her swagger, attitude, and delivery never fall off kilter. And rather than hanging it all up or playing Sonic Youth songs into eternity, Kim continues to reinvent herself, her art, and her sound, delivering performances that seem unfathomable at her age.
It was a special day in New York City. It was a day that underlined the roots of this city and its figures, but equally reflected that everything changes. The Knicks may win again next year, they may lose for another half century. Kim Gordon may stop making music next year, or she may go on another tour across the country. Enjoy the things in front of you while you have the chance, and never get stuck in a box.
Pro tip: Kim Gordon plays Warsaw in Brooklyn September 15 & 16, with NYC-based Voyeur opening. They just added the 16th because the 15th sold out, so get a ticket while you still can. And if you haven’t listened to Voyeur... you’re going to love them.
Alright, Rrrat Pack. Later.
| Keywords: | New York City | Night Club 101 | Kim Gordon |
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