Los-Angeles rockers Beauty School Dropout (BSD) played an intimate show at NYC’s legendary Gramercy Theatre on November 2, 2023. The trio are currently on their first headlining tour in support of their sophomore album READY TO EAT; after a whirlwind year opening for blink-182 on their North American arena tour and playing Lollapalooza. Known for their high-energy performances, raw lyrics, and heavy guitar tones, BSD push pop-punk in a new direction and show no signs of slowing down.
Soulful singer/songwriter Ava Maybee opened the show with her bold voice, strong melodies, and eclectic style. The 22-year-old from Los Angeles was a fan-favorite on Season 20 of American Idol and showed her broad vocal range as she performed “Puke,” “Lay Low,” “Limerence,” and “See Me Now.”
Colorado natives NOT A TOY were next to take the stage, opening with “grown folk problems” from their latest album PRBLMS. The band comprised of best friends Branson Hoog (vocals), Benji Spoliansky (drums), Jeremy Marmor (guitar), and TJ Wessel (keys, violin) came out swinging with leaps in the air and non-stop movement. From their first steps on stage, it was apparent there were massive fans in the audience who sang along to the band’s tracks “Gutter Kid,” “BAD MOOD,” “SUPER IRRELEVANT,” and “Nervous” as well as a cover of the “the biggest song to come out of Colorado” “DONTTRUSTME” by 3OH!3.
Beauty School Dropout is Colie Hutzler (vocals), Brent “Beepus” Burdett (bass), and Bardo Novotny (guitar). The bands set started with slower track “i loved you,” the first song off their sophomore album READY TO EAT, as Colie took the stage alone and toasted the crowd with a Montauk beer. Beepus and Bardo slowly joined him on stage before collectively launching into “dying to be you.” From the first note of the song, BSD gave the show their all with a contagious energy that infected the crowd from start to finish.
The bands set of 16 songs spanned their two studio albums (playing their latest in full) and an early EP. The first half of the show covered “SEE YOU IN HELL,” “YEAHYEAHYEAHYEAH,” and “WE MADE PLANS & GOD LAUGHED” from their debut album of the same name, followed by “Coming Down” and “Demons” from the 2021 EP BOYS DO CRY. The second half was heavy on songs from READY TO EAT with “FREAK,” “beautiful waste,” and “one night stand you” as BSD played the rest of the album’s tracks “heart of gold,” “scarlett letter,” and “blow my high.” The night came to a close with “Starphucker” and “A$$A$$IN” before ending with “FIGHT MODE” during which Ava Maybee and NOT A TOY joined the band on-stage in celebration while Beepus crowd-surfed and Colie joined the circle pit.
Photos by Ann Storlie (@ast_lie) and Website
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Remaining “READY TO EAT” Tour Dates:
NOVEMBER 5 – Cambridge, MA – Sonia
NOVEMBER 7 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall
NOVEMBER 9 – Columbus, OH – A&R Music Bar
NOVEMBER 10 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
NOVEMBER 12 – Nashville, TN – The End
NOVEMBER 15 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean
NOVEMBER 17 – Kansas City, MO – The Rino
NOVEMBER 19 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
NOVEMBER 21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
DECEMBER 1 – San Diego, CA – Voodoo Room at House of Blues
DECEMBER 2 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
DECEMBER 5 – Portland, OR– Holocene
DECEMBER 6 – Seattle, WA – Chop Suey
DECEMBER 9 – San Francisco, CA– Brick and Mortar Music Hall
