New Politics
[Photo via YouTube]

New Politics shake up “Harlem” at secret show—watch

New Politics surprised their New York fans with a secret show where they performed a very special rendition of “Harlem, and you can catch it here on AP.

Capturing the intimacy of Grace’s Pub in New York’s West End, fans can be seen enthusiastically singing along to the hit.

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“Seeing and hearing the entire room filled with fans singing along was the wildest thing,” frontman David Boyd says. “We literally couldn’t hear anything we sang or played due to everyone singing along at the top of their lungs!”

New Politics don’t play secret shows often. Boyd says this was the first show of its kind. The whole thing was spontaneous, and Boyd didn’t know what to expect.

“This type of preference was a first for us,” Boyd says. “We’d never spontaneously added a show on our [social] media outlets with a date, time and location, so we had no idea what to expect, but the outcome alone blew us away.”

The band were cramped into a corner for the acoustic set, but that didn’t stop some iconic moments. One such moment was Boyd crowd surfing, even as his back scraped the ceiling. The video also shows the band members taking selfies with the fans, talking with them after the set and even signing autographs.

“The energy and closeness was the highlight of the show,” Boyd says. “We wanted to go back to the basics with our music and give our fans something special and personal.”

“‘Harlem’ is one of those songs I’ve played way too much, but every time we do play it, it’s a reminder why I love and always want to play it.” —David Boyd

Even in acoustic form, “Harlem” still shook the entire room as New Politics’ enthusiasm for the song almost matched the crowds.

“Over the years I’ve built a healthy ‘love-hate’ relationship with our music,” Boyd says. “‘Harlem’ is one of those songs I’ve played way too much, but every time we do play it, it’s a reminder why I love and always want to play it.”

The band flawlessly flow right into a cover of Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby,” adding a throwback twist to one of their most popular tracks.

“How we managed to throw in ‘Ice Ice Baby’ I have no idea,” Boyd says. “It was just a fun coincidence which I believe we need to officially add from here on out cause there’s nothing cooler than being ice cold.”

Check out the acoustic performance below.

New Politics are currently preparing for their fall tour with support from the Score and Bikini Trill, and tickets are on sale now.

Dates:

11/05 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache at the Intersection
11/06 – Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe at Old National Center
11/07 – Columbus, OH @ Skully’s
11/08 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Foxtail
11/10 – Clifton Park, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall
11/11 – North Hampton, MA @ Pearl Street
11/13 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met
11/14 – Fairfield, CT @ The Warehouse
11/15 – Ashbury Park, NJ @ House of Independents
11/16 – Richmond, VA @ The National
11/17 – Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
11/18 – Greensboro, NC @ Blind Tiger
11/19 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
11/20 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West