Even though it was pouring down rain I finally got around to this newfangled Brooklyn Bowl that everyone’s been talking about. A spacious venue including 20 bowling lanes hidden to the left of the stage. What brought me out to finally see it for myself? A sad girl line-up, of course. Tonight, on the docket we had Venus and The Flytraps, Tommy Lefroy, and Samia.

I was excited to see Venus and The Flytraps on such a large stage. It seemed to be a very exciting night and a big step for them. They’re rising stars in the Nashville indie and alternative rock scene. With the combined musical prowess of Ceci Tome and Brenna Kassis, this comes as no surprise. The two songwriters have come together to write kick-ass lyrics that could bite an indie boy’s head off. Even as a high schooler, Brenna was capturing people’s attention with her writing in the band Ill Spector. She’s since gone on to have a successful solo project (Bea Bitter). Ceci is also a skilled writer who values vulnerability by writing songs that are straight out of her diary. The two best friends write about their experiences in love and womanhood. With nickname jos on drums, Yej on rhythm guitar and Eden Joel on bass, they’re basically a Nashville indie supergroup. They gave a really fun performance debuting new songs including Red Hot, which was released a few days later.

This was Tommy Lefroy’s second performance in Music City, even though the duo met while they were both working as professional songwriters in Nashville in 2017. The self-produced indie folk/rock/pop project consists of Wynter Bethel and Tessa Mouzourakis. These two heartbreakers got their band name from a niche literary fact. Jane Austen’s muse Thomas Langlois Lefroy, the man who is immortalized in her character Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Wynter and Tessa tell their own stories of heartbreak, self-doubt, and youth with twinges of humor. I loved their stripped-down set which was mostly the two of them and two guitars with an occasional drummer. I was captivated by their close harmonies and mostly acoustic performance. In the silence between songs, you could hear a bowler make an occasional STRIKE. My favorite song of theirs was Trash Fire.

This was a sort of homecoming show for Samia on the last night of the Honey tour. Samia is from New York originally, but she calls Nashville home as so many artists do. This tour was to promote her sophomore LP which is overall an honest look at life in her twenties. It’s full of catchy melodies and beats that are juxtaposed with sorrowful lyrics. I would describe the album as showing your scars one by one to someone and telling them the story of how you got it. Her songwriting is described as deeply personal and confessional, vulnerability is where Samia feels most comfortable. Wearing a Sheryl Crow T-shirt and fishnets she gave a flawless performance. Her voice is so powerful and her enthusiasm was infectious. Watching her perform the songs live solidified my love for the album. Overall, I would say this show was a beautiful representation of powerful female writers and rock stars.

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