SPRNG VLVT played Purgatory

To celebrate the one year anniversary of her album, When the Beauty of the World Fixes Nothing, SPRNG VLVT debuted the full band performance of the record's songs and introduced some new ones as well.

Filling the intimate space of the DIY venue Purgatory with lush droning ambient sounds, Ankita Mishra, aka SPRNG VLVT, made her way to the stage under a cloak of red that added a stark contrast to both the deep, booming sounds emanating from the amps as well as her full black ensemble. Draping the scarf over herself and sprawling on the floor, she became one with the enveloping sounds, a dreamy white noise collage, and melted into more stirring vibes, echoing the full wash styles of Grouper and pairing this droning haze with delicate strums of acoustic guitar helped set the scene and introduce the tone of the night. Wrapping us all in the distorted feedback, Mishra's vocals broke through to give us a human touch and add to the sensation that just when things can feel out of place, a sense of familiarity can enter the fold and help reground us. As the drone gave way to the ether, the live rhythm section kicked in and gave the performance solid textures and allowed Mishra to emerge from the stage with a steady confidence that only sharpened over the night as her vocals grew louder and more powerful with each track. The effortless cool of Loren Diblasi, bassist of post-punk trio Patio, and the locked-in grooves of Rosana Cabán, of Psychic Twin and the producer of When the Beauty of the World Fixes Nothing, brought a pulse to the music and gave Mishra the freedom to take centerstage, and at times, dance through the crowd and lead the room through a dance number that worked best as a group effort as everyone in the room slowly gave in and lost themselves to the beat. Morphing the style from rumbling, at times eerie, soundscapes towards synth and post-punk driven melodies gave the songs a real sense of urgency and the band delivered the tunes with machine-like precision, nailing each groove to create a distinct and hardened sense of chaos that ultimately gave way to something bigger and bolder than one might imagine. The set was wonderfully paced, giving the band time to slowly reveal their sound while slowly luring in the crowd with their magnetic pull. As Mishra introduced the final two songs of the night, it was clear that the band had found their groove and it was a shame that things had to come to an end so soon. "That's literally all we have" they stated when it became clear that the crowd was ready to keep the night rocking, but the band knew that to leave them in such a state was the ultimate satisfier and the lingering urge to hope for more intoxicating tunes gave Mishra the ultimate power move a full year after gifting the album to the world.