Space Bacon Returns to an East Coast Club For the First Time in Over a Year

Written by Zachary Franck | Photos by Nick Lopresti

The past year has been a wild ride and it’s far from over. As the summer rolls to an end and autumn is around the bend, a wave of uncertainty approaches. Unfortunately, the COVID numbers have once again began to spike. Still, musicians and entertainers must push on as safely and respectfully as possible. Space Bacon, the Brooklyn quartet, returned to clubs on the east coast on Saturday, August 28th with a date at Space Ballroom right outside New Haven in Hamden, CT. Coming off their west coast debut in Bend, Oregon – the band was fired up to tear the roof off Space Ballroom for the first time.

Photo by Elemental Eyes in Bend, OR

With a clear-headed approach to the music from guitarist Jack Willard, the sky is the limit. He’s developed such mature decision making on-stage since their last club show pre-COVID. His balance between aggressiveness and patience space, allowing his bandmates to really shine, is lightyears from a few years ago. His current clear-headed approach and respect for the music is going to help take this band to the next level. The melodic chemistry between him and keyboardist Chris Gironda cannot be faked or taught – it’s just what it is – The Willronda connection is real. And none of it would be possible without bassist Kevin LeGall and drummer Sam Crespo – they constantly took risks while very rarely overplaying.

The first set kicked off with a Hollow Man sandwich, taking it back to some of their earliest material. The stuffing was a filling of Heatseeker with a super creative Switcher fake-out that lead to exploratory playing from everyone on stage. The band took a lot of audibles from the original setlists, extensive improvisation lead to multiple songs getting dropped – which is a good problem to have in Bacon land, or for any band that aims to push themselves into uncharted territory every night they touch the stage. But that’s not to say the band didn’t flex their compositional muscles either, because they did in the second set.

Set two opened with two strong standalones that showcase Space Bacon’s songwriting abilities. Prologue and Wolves are two songs that highlight the soulful integrity that is found at the core of their music. It’s important for the band to show they’re a lot more than just a jamtronica band.

The final segment of the night was quintessential Space Bacon - just utter filth that had the dancefloor shaking. Flamethrower > Division > Flamethrower was just incredible – the energy that the entire band cradled was powerful while never being sporadic. Once they dropped the dynamics and slid into Division, it was a wrap. All that time off didn’t hinder their momentum, in fact, it made them more creative in more ways than one.

Chris’ uses of patches was so tasteful. When they jammed back into Flamethrower, all hell started to break loose – in a good way. It got dark, like an alleyway in the South Bronx. The entire band was so comfortable in building one of the most powerful peaks I’ve ever seen from them – pure adrenaline without forcing anything. It was the Space Bacon we know and love. Jacky went off with Sam pounding on the drums behind him. And they landed right back into the ending with ease and then doubled it up and rode the lightning to the sky. The entire venue was going apeshit and then they dropped into their signature breakdown – Space Bacon ended strong and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room.

They’re just getting started, there are a lot more dates to come and the band is in a healthy place to deliver creatively energetic shows everything they touch the stage. Do not miss them if you they come to your city, and if you can make it to Denver, buy your plane tickets now.

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