Beer in hand, we stood in Schubas under the dim lights, waiting for the show to start. When Woongi took the stage, the room went dark and a hush fell over the crowd. The band started playing, and the audience was engaged from the start, hopping along to the synthy, bassy grooves. They touched on some obvious fan favorites like “Swim” and “Fire’s Dead” from their forthcoming release with SOOPER Records, Rip’s Cuts.
A call from the band, asking if everyone was having fun, elicited “woo”s from the audience. A rainbow of light undulated over Woongi as they deftly blasted through their set, with some awkward silent bits between songs that I didn’t mind because they felt oddly on brand.
Woongi ended their set on the rippin’ bass lines of “Kennel”—adequately preparing the audience for the intergalactic performance Diane Coffee was about to bring.
Diane Coffee took the stage in a flash, arriving directly from space based on their outfits alone. This show was the first celebrating the band’s freshly released album, Internet Arms, and the posi vibes were in the air from the start. They burst into the album’s title track straight away, as frontman Shaun Fleming sang from behind a holographic mask wearing holographic platform sneakers. By the second song, he had ditched the mask and was jumping into the audience. Fleming threw himself into his music from the start. It was theatric, and based on his history with Jesus Christ Superstar, it made sense. He challenged the audience to match his energy—a challenge which they readily accepted—jumping to the music early on in the set.
His yellow hair flung everywhere, jerking his body rhythmically with the music. For “Work It,” Fleming invited Gabriel Mudd from Jesus Christ Superstar on stage to sing with them, and hell yeah, did he ever. There was a guest appearance, there was a keytar solo—what more could we have even asked for?
This incredible performance was enhanced by an equally impressive light show. Visuals pulsated on screens behind the band as bars of lights and projections of the album art flanked the stage.
The band blasted through the last three songs with skill and passion.”Lights Off” was dripping with synth swells and theatric thrusts; “Not Ready to Go” featured guitar solos that made my soul want to leap out of my body; “I Dig You” was bold and climactic.
And then—of course—came the encore! After the obligatory off-stage time, the band returned with a cut from their first album, “New Years.”
The set was packed with positive energy and while it truly celebrated the new album Internet Arms, it also offered fans some good nuggets from the band’s earlier work. It was an apt representation of Diane Coffee’s career so far, and what a career it’s been.
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