Binki’s Punchy Hits Get Brooklyn “Freakin”
Article written and photos by John Krug
On a warm August evening in Brooklyn, a long summer was at its peak and slowly winding down. The sun began to set as a buzzing crowd formed outside of the iconic Music Hall of Williamsburg. Those gathered were ready to see genre-defying rising star Binki deliver the final performance of his 21-stop North American tour. The weather was beautiful and just as you’d want for an evening of music, the vibes were indeed right.
Opener Ernest Rareberrg kicked off the night with a showstopping performance that could only be described as an eclectic fever dream. His unique alt-pop blend was already a real treat to witness, but the theatrics on display instantly won the attention and energy of the packed crowd. Rareberrg took to the stage in a pope costume with a bible in hand and ended his set in a pair of blue pajamas with white angel wings attached. What happened in between involved multiple points of crowd participation, a fully costumed cast of supporting characters, and most notably, a plastic skeleton. This surreal performance art piece had shades of something you’d find on Adult Swim late at night in the early 2000s in the absolute best way possible. Yet this is not to overshadow his music, which sounded absolutely fantastic live.
Rareberrg shifted effortlessly between greatly contrasting vocal tones and seemed to pull inspiration from practically every single genre. The best example of this would be his 2021 single, “Jumbo Jets”, which was recorded with an incredibly dreamy falsetto and performed with a charmingly choppy, Talking Heads-esque tone. Opening a tour can sometimes be a tough gig, especially with unreceptive audiences, but Rareberrg commanded the stage with the grit and passion of an established headliner. As his set came to an end, many audience members could be overheard clamoring for more as they chatted about how much they loved the avant-garde performance. It was clear from this point forward that we were indeed in for a night to remember.
Following a refreshingly brief set changeover, Binki took the stage alongside his full band to a large ovation. The groovy, punchy instrumental of his 2021 cut “Revolve” then filled the room as hundreds began to jump and sing in harmony. The earworm hook (“Cause you’re just like me!”) worked as a call and response of sorts and was the perfect way to get this already energetic crowd even more amped up. As a chaotic, meme-heavy screensaver graphic featuring his logo on fire projected behind him and the band, Binki had already transported us into his wonderfully quirky, rockin’ world. After some witty small talk with the audience, he and the band went full speed into a jam-packed set that never once let down.
His discography is brief yet concise, featuring a handful of singles and two EPs. This allowed the audience to hear practically every single song he’d released to date. A Brooklyn native himself, Binki made connecting with this packed New York crowd look easy thanks to his goofy quips between songs and incredibly energetic delivery. This became most apparent during a roaring performance of “Hotel Window” as a small mosh pit opened in the middle of the room. The two-minute anthem fresh off of his newly released EP “Antennae” was an instant standout and practically had the entire two-story room shaking. The run of tracks that followed could only be described as pure magic. “Rocket Ship”, “Freakin” and “Heybb!” showed just how many crowd-pleasing hits Binki has in his arsenal and kept everyone engaged til the very last moment. With the infectious energy at its peak, Binki closed off his set but not before returning for an encore of his breakout hit, “Marco”.
As we await a full-length debut album, Binki can rest easy knowing he has a legion of energetic, buzzing fans ready to back it. If the legendary Music Hall of Williamsburg is his starting point, we can only imagine the caliber of venue he’ll end up at the next time he comes to play in NYC. If one thing is for certain though, it’s the fact that Binki is undoubtedly one of music’s most exciting rising stars.
