Show Review: Nautics, Malice K, Quarters at Irving Plaza, NYC.
April 18th, 2026.
----------
Irving Plaza serves bottomless popcorn
April 19th, 2026
Well, this week’s second Spring of deception wave of good weather in New York City was fun, but yesterday evening we were foolishly underdressed as we crawled east along 14th St. to Irving Plaza. We scurried inside under overcast skies to catch the final homecoming show of Quarters ’s spring tour, with support from Malice K and Nautics. It was a properly loud get-down, here’s what we remember from the night:
We first saw Nautics this fall at a Baby’s gig we stumbled into. They were hyping up this show back then and we were surprised that life reconnected us here to be present for the moment. Our immediate impression was the effect of the upgrade to a bigger sound system. Drums were dense and boomy, full of air that punched you in the chest with every beat. This did wonders to anchor lofty vocals and bright guitars. Towards the end they played crowd favorite I Don’t Really Like Boys twice in a row, which got the crowd jumping.
The Malice K quintet brought the kind of whipsawing moods that spring is known for. A little bit of wind, a bit of rain, a bit of sunshine, a bit of hot, a bit of cold. Their lead singer, lanky and stretched out like the tall boy they were drinking, sang moody crooners, songs with lots of “oooo” harmonies. The lights were often purple and blue, which is how the music often felt. Before one song, vocalist declared “So this next song...” and then proceeded to just cough directly into the microphone a dozen times. It ended in a wonderfully violent jam with lots of screaming, a flavor we found incredibly compelling.
Smoke machines announced the arrival of Quarters to the stage. A lot of smoke, the people in front of us commented “Why are they tear gassing us”. Because we were about to be attacked. By bass. Our jaws dropped to the floor and our bodies shivered from the vibrations. The bassist literally held their instrument like a rifle. It took us half the set to figure out what was going on. Quarters threw the riff-driven formula out the window. In its place were groove-driven songs, guitars abandoned the midrange to take higher lead roles, leaving low end space for a massive bass sound. Paired with soaring, flawless vocals, the crowd bobbed and sang along to almost every song.
We flew blind into this gig, we went with friends with good taste and were there as first time listeners for the most part. As a homecoming tour-closer, the night felt like a celebration, the end of journey. Spring now blooms, a new journey begins. If you missed the gig, connect with Nautics, Malice K, and Quarters to see what their next move is. See you around, Rrrat Pack.
| Keywords: | New York City | Irving Plaza | Nautics | Malice K | Quarters |
|---|
