Here for N.Y. - A Night At Knockdown Center

One night festivals are always tricky: so many artists, so little time. Yet, Here for NY pulled it off seamlessly. The event was held at Knockdown Center in Queens, and the location couldn’t have been better suited. When the venue of the show fits with the artists and vibe of the crowd, you can’t help but feel that much more captivated. One of the people standing next to me at the show told me that she wasn’t even here to see any particular artist, she just comes to Knockdown Center whenever they have an event. Here for NY provided the perfect space for devoted fans and curious spectators alike to dive into the wide ranging sounds of the various featured artists, all while supporting Big Reuse and Urban Justice Center.

Push Ups opened on the Main Stage, marking a strong start for the rest of the stacked lineup. Their set was, if you will, Deftones-esque. The shoe-gazey guitar and the low vocals underscoring it had everyone hooked.

Sara King opened at the Here Stage, a closed off room that boasted a much more intimate listening environment. Your eyes immediately followed her as she walked out in a futuristic pink metallic jacket and skirt, urging the crowd to “move closer!” to the front of the stage. Sara King’s sound was reminiscent, to me, of the incredible 2020 Charli XCX album, ‘How I’m Feeling Now’. It was almost hyperpop adjacent, incorporating a lot of the musical style’s sounds and ear candy. This is somewhat similar to the way that DOMi and JD Beck approach jazz, and I was definitely a fan of it. Photographer Jose Castillo remarked that her set sounded like “if Lana Del Rey used 808s,” and I don’t know that I could describe it in a more fitting way myself.

**Sara King at Here For NY, Knockdown Center by Jose Castillo**

Liv.e’s performance was one of my favorites of the night. I hadn’t heard of her prior to this event, but I am so grateful to have found her. Liv.e not only had interesting stage visuals and incredible vocals, but DJed her set entirely on her own. Using unconventional production methods on tracks that are carried by a smooth neo-soul sound gives Liv.e’s sound so much depth, and reminds me a lot of Binz by Solange, which is a favorite track of mine.

In between the openers and headliners, there was an immense amount of talent and excitement at each of the stages. RXK Nephew got the crowd at the main stage active. DJ sets from 454, DJ Dave, and other artists kept people feeling the music at the Home Stage. Underscores wasn’t listed as a DJ set on the lineup, but their performance had all the best aspects of one, including a brief remix of Passionfruit by Drake. The crowd was undeniably loving it, and their set served as the perfect preparation for the main headliner of the evening.

Eartheater was the reason this festival had popped up on my radar. Supersoaker came up on a Discover Weekly playlist of mine, and I was immediately intrigued. Watching Eartheater’s set was akin only to what I imagine sailors experienced in Ancient Greek mythology when they floated by the sirens. Before Eartheater even came out on stage, you could feel the energy shift in anticipation. Her stage presence and command of the crowd was incredible, and kept you locked in the entire performance. The combination of the electronic and acoustic elements of Eatheater’s set created a sound that was immersive and otherworldly.

Hopefully Here for NY will be here to stay, and bring the festival back to Knockdown Center next time around. The festival contained a wide range of experimental music, spanning across and challenging genre, and presented it in a way that encouraged artist engagement, rather than keeping it “underground” or exclusive.