Photos and words by Rosi Lamela
Bully played an intimate show at The Basement at Bond Street Bar in Asbury Park last Thursday, September 1st. I’ve been trying to catch them since I became a fan a few years ago and this was the perfect venue to see them. Small venues like these make for some of the best shows, despite the lighting challenges that photographers like me struggle with.
Brooklyn trio Hello Mary opened and performed along with some trippy cartoons that were projected behind them. Before Bully got on the stage, I saw Alicia Bognanno by the merch table and admit that I got a little starstruck. Bognanno’s energy on stage was right on and she expressed how excited she was to be playing a smaller venue. They started with my favorite song “Where to Start” (music video below) which drew the crowd close to the stage/carpet to get in on the action. They went through all of my favorites like “Trying”, “Milkman”, and “Trash” from their 2014 album Feels Like. They also played “You”, “Add It On”, and “Prism” from their latest release Sugaregg. Bully makes me feel the angst I used to love to hold onto in my younger years. The melodic songs mixed with Bognanno’s screaming vocals did me some good on a Thursday night. We even considered staying behind after the show to get an autograph; however, after looking for the band for a bit I felt super silly and passed on the idea. Maybe next time!
After their performance at Riot Fest in Chicago later this month, they’ll be taking a break before hitting the road again in November to finish out their tour on the West Coast. Check out all of their upcoming tour dates here and keep scrolling below to see more photos from the show.
