By Danica Ward
Staff Writer
Knoxville’s Superdrag made their long-awaited return to New York this past weekend. They booked both Friday, Oct. 3 and Saturday, Oct. 4 at the legendary Bowery Ballroom, and you can bet they rocked the house down.
Besides playing a few shows this past June, Superdrag has been relatively inactive on the concert scene recently. Although their lineup has varied over the years, they finally returned as the original quartet in 2021.
Their 1996 hit single, “Sucked Out,” received significant play on MTV, but they soon fell under the radar. But for steadfast fans and newbies alike, their New York return had the crowd under a spell. The band played an almost hour-and-a-half set, giving the audience the full Superdrag experience.
The show started with two deep cuts, “Bloody Hell” and “Liquor,” from their 1995 EP “The Fabulous 8-Track Sound of Superdrag.” Safe to say, they dived into their discography, seamlessly blending the old and new.
Songs like “Keep it Close to Me” from their 2000 LP “In the Valley of Dying Stars” had the crowd singing along, pumping their fists and clapping to the beat.
The set slowed down at parts, allowing lead singer John Davis to show off his vocal chops. I often think about how many singers I could immediately recognize if I just heard their voice — Davis is one of them.
On “Extra-Sensory” and “Ambulance Driver,” the audience swayed along, getting in their feelings and enveloping themselves in the golden sunshine that is Davis’ voice.
The key to Superdrag’s power is their melody. From the chords to the lyrics, everything fits like a puzzle piece, like it was always meant to be there.
The power chords used by guitarists Davis and Brandon Fisher create an impenetrable wall, blasting the sound to the back of the room. From there, bassist Tom Pappas’ groove (and ability to entertain the crowd) and drummer Don Coffey Jr.’s hammering on the drums create a perfect song again and again.
It iswaseasy to see that Superdrag received a warm welcome from the crowd. The cheering after each song seemed to last extra long, and it just felt like everyone was on their toes waiting to see what song they would play next.
On “Sold You an Alibi” and encore “Hellbent” from 1999’s “Head Trip in Every Key,” the audience chipped in to all the little ad-lib parts in the song, garnering a smile from Davis on stage. The venue was full of pure electricity.
The band even played the duo of “Slot Machine” into “Phaser” from their debut album “Regretfully Yours,” hyping up the crowd and getting everyone to sing along. In addition, they also debuted a new song, “Far Away From Me,” and hinted at a new album in the works.
Superdrag ended their set with “Destination Ursa Major,” another crowd-pleaser. In a 21-song set, it is hard not to say that fans got everything they wanted. The set was one banger after another, proving that the band’s hiatus did not stop them from continuing to harness their power and sound just as good as they did 30 years ago.
