Read previous – Nada Surf and Pom Pom Squad at World Cafe Live in Philly
For those claiming that rock is dead, I present to you Pom Pom Squad. This statement isn’t hyperbole, I’m serious. Interesting fact, Pom Pom Squad is one of the few artists/bands that’s been able to pull me away from Red (TV) since the start of Sad Girl Autumn. For this reason, it was an easy decision to catch them a second time in just as many weeks for their Jersey show at White Eagle Hall. The show, which happened on Friday, November 19th, was the 2nd to last date of their tour with Nada Surf before closing out with a hometown performance at Music Hall of Williamsburg.
The venue filled up slowly as Pom Pom Squad’s scheduled 8pm set time came and went, with some in the audience not even aware there was an opener. I was excited for those in the crowd unfamiliar with Pom Pom Squad, as their expectations were surely about to be blown away. Driving up early from South Jersey to claim their spot in front of the stage were the parents of PPS drummer Shelby Keller. The Kellers are legit parent goals – they schmoozed and took photos with the audience while dotingly speaking about their daughter who they couldn’t wait to surprise. Turns out Mr. Keller and I grew up in the same hood and I literally want to be his best friend – would be great to grab a slice with him at Aldo’s on Bustleton.
On paper, the pairing of Pom Pom Squad and Nada Surf might seem a little peculiar; however, their genre-defying and grunge-y aesthetics are a great match. Nada Surf has also managed to remain non-problematic since forming in the ’90s, which is no small feat. Pom Pom Squad started off their set with “Lux” (from their 2021 debut LP Death of a Cheerleader), which immediately drew the crowd’s full attention. Although this was their first tour, Mia Berrin and co. have great chemistry on stage and come off as seasoned performers. They played through a relatively brief set which included 2018’s “Protection Spells” (a song which sonically reminds me of early-Mitski a la “I Want You”) and “Again” (from the 2019 EP Ow) which the band absolutely slays live especially during the song’s climax that has Berrin roaring the lyrics “and you said this wouldn’t happen again”. They also played the brand new song “Until It Stops” that Berrin likened to a “drunken singalong”. The song was just recently released and is available to stream on Spotify (below).
It goes without saying that Pom Pom Squad gained more than a few new fans that night, including the most Jersey concertgoer ever that casually climbed up on stage to snag a setlist. I was unable to stick around for Nada Surf’s set (long story), but you can catch a crowd video of Berrin joining them on “Popular” here – a studio recording of this would be amazing, IMO. Pom Pom Squad will be touring again early next year when they play the FU Church basement in Philly with Fenne Lily and Illuminati Hotties (tickets here), before heading off on their headlining Death of a Cheerleader tour next spring. Check out all of their upcoming tour dates here – unfortunately, a Jersey or Philly date has not yet been announced.
See the full setlist below and keep scrolling to see more photos from the show.
Pom Pom Squad Setlist (11/19/2021):
– Lux
– Drunk Voicemail
– Protection Spells
– Head Cheerleader
– Cake
– Shame Reactions
– Cherry Blossom
– Again
– Heavy Heavy
– Until It Stops
– Be Good
