Merope build their music around the kanklės, a Lithuanian zither, and they are playing a room designed by people who care more about the speakers than the sightlines. Shahzad Ismaily, who has recorded with everyone from Laurie Anderson to Bonnie Prince Billy, shares the bill. If you want the opposite of a Labor Day weekend club night, this is the quiet, extremely well-amplified alternative.
What to expect
A small purpose-built sound room where the audience mostly stands and listens rather than talks over the set. The bar and kitchen are on the same site, so you can eat before the doors. It is a three-hour billed window, which means a real support slot rather than a quick headline.
Good to know
- Union Street on the R and Bergen Street on the F and G are both walkable
- It is a 21 and over show with a written safer-space policy
- A ticket does not guarantee entry once the room hits capacity
- The room rewards standing centrally; the sound system is the reason to come
- There is a bar and kitchen on site, so you can make an evening of it
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Common questions
Who are Merope?
A trio working between Lithuania and Belgium who build contemporary music around Baltic folk song, the kanklės zither, voice and electronics.
What kind of venue is Public Records?
A purpose-built listening room, bar and kitchen in Gowanus, designed around its sound system rather than as a conventional club.
Can I get in at the door?
Possibly, subject to capacity, but the venue states a ticket does not guarantee entry and advance purchase is the safer route.
More this weekend
