Empress Of took the stage at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Tuesday night as part of the CMJ Music Marathon 2013 and dazzled the crowd with a bright blend of electronica, rock and pop.
The act is the brainchild of 23-year-old lead singer Lorely Rodriguez, and the unique energy of the band flows through her and washes over the crowd. She never sat still during the entire performance, as she instead preferred to hop in place, wave her arms or bounce around the front of the stage as she sang.
Rodriguez manned a laptop and assorted other devices at a small table on the right side of the stage and was accompanied only by a keyboardist a drummer. The three blended together seamlessly throughout the performance. The drums added a steadying backing beat to keep everything together while Rodriguez unleashed herself upon the crowd.
But for all the energy and tenacity she displayed, Empress Of brought out a softer side multiple times throughout the performance, notably in the short downtimes between songs. The performer in the leggings, sport jacket and loose gray sweat top, the image of Alex Owens from Flashdance, who was bounding all over the place just moments earlier became a shy, reserved girl with a smile and words of gratitude.
The most striking aspect of Empress Of is Rodriguez's resemblance to a young Gwen Stefani in looks, vocals and performance. Her voice went from lilting to powerful to pained without missing a beat, and her constant motion and crowd interaction called to mind images of No Doubt in its early stages.
The fans ate up the performance, which consisted mostly of songs from an album that Rodriguez is currently writing. If the record is anything like Tuesday's show, then Empress Of is sure to gain some attention in the near future.
But the interaction did not stop when the music ended. Two fans in the front row received copies of the set list from Rodriguez who, appropriately, handed them over with a shy smile and a thank you.
