The colorful beams of overhead lights and nostalgic, warm atmosphere of hypnotic pop filled the Roadrunner – a music venue located in Cambridge – on a cool Tuesday night last October. The crowd sang along to the indie music of TV Girl, a band known for its eclectic meld of samples, keyboards, and reverbs combined with a style reminiscent of 1960s girl groups to create a modern adaptation of vintage pop music. Formed in 2010, the Los Angeles-based band has been releasing albums since 2014 and recently amassed a large following amongst a younger audience after their songs went viral on TikTok in 2021 and 2022. TV Girl has gone on to release four other albums since their 2014 debut, with their newest coming out this past June, Grapes Upon the Vine.
Comprised of drummer Jason Wyman, pianist Wyatt Harmon, and vocalist Brad Petering, the dreamy atmosphere of TV Girl’s music starkly contrasts the monotone voice of Petering and his blunt lyricism. In the past, TV Girl was known for its bittersweet musings on love. The songs are written from the perspective of Petering’s character – a disdainful yet loving ex-partner to the fictional women mostly referred to as “you” in the songs. Sometimes named Louise or Anjela, the illusory women are a poignant reflection of the protagonists’ past lovers.
Mounted on the wall at the back of the stage, the band’s logo – a simple black-and-white image of a demure young woman looking pensively ahead – glows a vibrant neon. On the sides of the stage are cutouts of stained glass, similar to what you’d see in a church, gleaming with a bright array of colors. Unlike the themes of love prevalent in TV Girl’s older music, Grapes Upon the Vine delves into ideas about religion and faith. The new release departs significantly from TV Girl’s previous releases – a decision many fans & critics were disappointed by. Still, TV Girl, particularly Petering, was adamant that the audience buy the album. At one point, Petering told the crowd about a sick boy he met in the hospital earlier that day. To everyone’s disbelief, the story was a made-up, shameless promotion of Grapes Upon the Vine. This ironic on-stage banter seems to be a recurrent theme with Petering – rather than the typical pandering to the crowd many artists engage with, Petering is cynical and sarcastic as if the crowd is not in on the joke, but the joke is on us.
To the left of the stage, Maniya and Keira – two background singers – sing passionately in a unique blend of gospel music and the nostalgic pop TV Girl is known for. This being their first-ever tour, Maniya and Keira were enthusiastic about being on the road with the band as background vocalists. Although they didn’t sing on the new album, they were heavily inspired by Makeda Francisco, the Grapes Upon the Vine gospel singer who gave them “so many ideas on how to create different renditions and choices.” Maniya and Keira cited Loving Machine as their current favorite TV Girl song. Keira added, “I love the jazz bit we do at the end, and we’re able to add our own choices and ideas, which is fun to switch up every night.” She noted, “I also love Not Allowed because the crowd gets so hype for it and I love dancing with them.”
In the crowd of 3,500 concert-goers was SHS junior Alison McGourty, who was attending her first concert since the pandemic. McGourty stated, “I loved it, although it was really hot.” As TV Girl performed their 10-year-long catalog, security and staff of the Roadrunner were passing back water bottles to cool fans down.
Notably, TV Girl has a preconceived stereotype of being misogynistic–with insulting lyrics toward women or using women as objects in their music–in addition to assuming their fans are “jerky” or “not self-aware,” as McGourty expected. However, these stereotypes were broken that night. While it’s inevitable that there will be a few exceptions, the crowd was singing along to all the songs, dancing to the distinctive opener, and bringing good energy to all in the Roadrunner that night. McGourty noted that “everyone was so sweet” and “having a great time.”
A sea of phones amassed under the red lights as the first notes of the iconic Lovers Rock began. The crowd knew all the lyrics – Lovers Rock is the quintessential TV Girl song. The track has a warm familiarity; it invites the listener in with its soft, romantic tune and samples sounding like something from an old Hollywood movie. Live, the song is unparalleled. It’s the perfect way to end the show, as the lights fade out and the visceral feelings their music evokes still lingers.
What about those who were not able to go? The number of concert ticket scams has exponentially increased since COVID-19, and it has not gone unnoticed. Notably, at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, thousands of price-gouged resell tickets and people getting scammed every night. This trend has even trickled down to the indie-pop band TV Girl.
SHS senior Sophie Blanchard stated she “got tickets from Ticketmaster in 2023 for $100 each.” She and her friends were not aware that they were resale tickets – purchasing them from the previously reliable site of Ticketmaster. When they got to the venue, they were denied entry because the tickets they got could not transfer to the AXS app, which is where the Roadrunner sells and scans entry tickets. “We were so anxious,” Blanchard recalled. “Most of us were thinking about the money, wondering, are we going to get a refund?” When they went to the service counter, the worker stated they were not guaranteed a refund due to purchasing the tickets off a 3rd party app; however, they were free to purchase $50 on sight. They passed on the offer, having already spent $100 on the previous tickets.
Although TV Girl has been making music for over a decade, their newfound fame through social media and younger generations is undeniable. TV Girl’s performance at the Roadrunner was exceptional and perfectly captured the essence of their music. All issues aside, it was an unforgettable night and another outstanding show for the thriving band.