In the upstairs of Gabe’s, there was a haze in the air amplified by the dim purple lighting and a crowd of people beginning to flood into the space. An elaborate equipment set-up was featured on stage, including several microphones, a piano, guitars, and a drum set, which read “Jude, Sawyer, Henry & Henry,” the names of four members of the electric pop-rock band LAUNDRY DAY.
Gabe’s hosted NYC-based band LAUNDRY DAY on Feb. 13 as part of the band’s The Time of Your Life Tour. The buzzing crowd brought a mix of fans, from those who had traveled more than an hour to see the show and some who only listened to a handful of songs in preparation for the show.
Two of those who didn’t know much were Maclayne Crews and Grace Nelson, University of Iowa third-year students who won tickets to see the show through a KRUI Radio giveaway.
“I feel like Gabe’s is one of the last premier live music places. You can really let loose in here, and I think, from what I’ve heard of LAUNDRY DAY’s music, the vibe is gonna be hot,” Crews said.
Others were more prepared for the show, such as Landie and Blake Gibbons. The two made the trek from Ankeny, Iowa, and made a weekend of the show as they are both big fans of the band and had been waiting for their chance to see LAUNDRY DAY.
“It’s so much better when you listen to the album, and you know every single song and every lyric. It was awesome,” Landie Gibbons said. “Especially seeing them up on stage, they’re from New York, so you see them online, and they’re just the same in person, it’s such a cool experience.”
Despite the lyrical knowledge differences of those in the crowd, the intoxicating energy stayed high throughout the entire performance, and those who didn’t maintain the zeal of the crowd were called out by the lead singer, Jude Ciulla-Lipkin, for standing in the back with their arms crossed.
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“This wasn’t one that we were expecting to have a huge turnout, but people started showing up, and we were downstairs playing pool before the show. We saw people coming in. We were like, well, this is great,” Sawyer Nunes, the drummer of LAUNDRY DAY, said. “Friday night in Iowa City was great, and everyone had great energy.”
Nunes has been writing and releasing music for almost 10 years, but he was making music long before then. He takes inspiration from several artists and albums, from Jack Johnson’s Curious George album to rockstars like Jimi Hendrix and The Clash.
“I was always musical. I had Fisher Price ukuleles and stuff. I always wanted to do it all,” Nunes said. “I didn’t really think about it. Once I played one instrument, it translated to another in an easy way. It’s just kind of my thing and how my brain worked; It was my fidget spinner.”
All of this work shone through on stage, as Nunes rotated from drums to piano to guitar throughout the set. Ciulla-Lipkin also rotated positions, moving from vocalist to piano as well. Henry Weingartner and Henry Pearl, the bassist and guitarist respectively, both stayed on their instruments, while all four contributed to the satisfying vocals.
The band didn’t let their foot off the gas pedal for one moment, as each member was either singing, playing their instruments, or dancing while not doing any of the former.
The band performed hits from their single “NO GO” to “I KINDA LIKE THAT” on their most recent album.
The show ended after a “one more song” chant and three encore songs, which were preceded by a cover of Abba’s “Dancing Queen” and concluded with Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes’ “(I’ve had) The Time Of My Life.”
This was LAUNDRY DAY’s ninth show of the tour out of 20, which will be wrapped up before the end of the month.