Words and Photos by Katherine Cardinale
At the end of last month, Brooklyn-based Pom Pom Squad played an intimate hometown set at Elsewhere – Zone 1 full of deep cuts, unreleased tracks, and fan favorites. The evening was a triumphant celebration of the band and its musical growth over the years and acted much like a full circle moment, with the band having played this venue many times in the past.
After alternative/indie artist Sabrina Song opened the evening with a strong supporting set, featuring a cover of Katy Perry’s “Thinking of You,” it was time for Pom Pom Squad. The band started off by playing “Downhill,” which is the first track off their most recent record, Mirror Starts Moving Without Me. Mia had promised that the evening would be a “Behind the Curtain” experience, featuring “b-sides, oddities,” and “new and unreleased tracks,” and she certainly did not disappoint. The setlist primarily featured songs from the group’s previous releases, with only 3 songs off Mirror Starts Moving Without Me being included. This decision allowed fans to step into a time machine and hear some of Pom Pom Squad’s earliest releases and deep cuts, including “Protection Spells” and “Cake,’ which are oftentimes no longer played at their standard concerts. You could really feel the community in the room, with the entire audience singing and cheering along to every song.
After an exhilarating hour-long set, the band came back onstage for an encore that ended with “Head Cheerleader.” Mia’s pink, heart shaped guitar was not working, but she adapted quickly and proceeded to sing the song without it, admitting to the crowd that she had never performed the song without her instrument before. However, this gave her two free hands to throw red roses from a fresh bouquet into the crowd. Fans snapped them up immediately, presumably to treasure as souvenirs. The free silver pom poms that were handed out before the show also served as ways to commemorate the evening.
After the show ended, I stuck around to buy merch and meet Mia Berrin, the lead singer of the group who was taking the time to speak with each fan who approached her. When I got to the front of the line, I talked to Mia about how much I enjoy listening to her music and photographing Pom Pom Squad’s shows. She was bubbly and easy to talk to, and before parting ways I also got a photo with her.
Be sure to keep up with the band, as they have been teasing new music that will be out very soon!
Loudspeaker Collective 