Hot Mulligan sell out Brooklyn Paramount as Anxious return home
Just days before Hot Mulligan’s sold-out November 7 show at the Brooklyn Paramount, the energy in New York City shifted. Zohran Mamdani’s historic mayoral win resonated through all five boroughs, a shared exhale from Millennials and Gen Z grasping for a little hope.
Maybe it’s a reach to connect a major shift in the city’s political climate to a Hot Mulligan concert, but I couldn’t help feeling the some sort of buzz in the air at Brooklyn Paramount. Nights like this are reminders that people, especially the ones who grew up screaming along to songs about heartbreak and identity, just want to be seen, heard, validated.
Isn’t that what emo music has always been about? That ache we’ve all felt. Wanting to matter, even for one night.
ANXIOUS
The night opened with Anxious, the Connecticut band that’s been steadily carving out its place in the hardcore/emo scene. For me, it felt like a homecoming show for these guys. There were plenty of Connecticut kids in the crowd—commuters, students, weekend regulars—who’ve watched these guys grow up in spaces like The Space Ballroom or the DIY corners of the Nutmeg State. Seeing them on a stage as grand as the Paramount was emotional in itself.
The walked out with the confidence of having earned this moment. Frontman Grady Allen urged the audience to put their phones down and be present. And they listened. It’s rare for a room as large as the Paramount to give its full attention to a supporting act. But these guys delivered. They were constantly in motion, jumping, spinning and making full use of the stage.
Anxious ended their set with Allen moving from the stage to the barricade, almost as if that short distance was too much to resist for too long. I hope as this band continues its rise, that connection with fans stays right where it started — up close and personal.
ARM’S LENGTH
Arm’s Length kept the pace right where it needed to be, somehow lighthearted and heavy all at once. By the time this Ontario band took the stage, the venue was fully packed. Crowd surfers began braving the distance to barricade above the outstretched hands. The energy rose to that sweet spot where chaos and care somehow coexist in the middle of the pit.
What stood out about the Arm’s Length performance was the chemistry between band members. They all wore big smiles, leaning into each other during breakdowns and playing like a band that genuinely enjoys being on tour together. No nerves. No overthinking. Just friends vibing.
DRUG CHURCH
Drug Church followed. This Albany band stood out as the heaviest act on the card. While Arm’s Length and Anxious leaned more emo, Drug Church thrived on a hardcore, post-punk sound.
Up to this point, the collective energy in the room had been building, filling the vaulted grand hall of the Paramount. And Drug Church’s set was the release that finally set it off. Frontman Patrick Kindlon urged the crowd to bring everything they had, but not without reminding them to take care of one another and to give security the respect they deserved for catching so many flying bodies crashing to the edge of the barricade. At one point, he told everyone to channel that energy away from crowd surfing and into a proper pit, and it was like watching a tide turn on command.
I made my way to the balcony to take in the beautiful chaos of the pit below. From above, the floor moved as one with bodies colliding, separating, and crashing again. When the song ended, I caught a quick frame of two strangers turning to hug each other, amped up off the energy of that song. Maybe I was the only one who noticed it, but damn, if that isn’t what I love about this community, I don’t know what is.
HOT MULLIGAN
When Hot Mulligan finally appeared, the set began with eerily dark mix of blues and purple lights, band members backlit by the video screen and the bands stage prop, a glowing figure in a gurney attached to monitors, a call to the to their latest album The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still, released earlier this summer.
Somehow, the crowd still had energy left after three explosive sets. Hot Mulligan didn’t rush their entrance. They let the tension build, slowly turning it up until the whole room was vibrating again. Somewhere in the middle of the set, the band mentioned Mamdani’s election win between a break in songs. Not a single boo or divisiveness in the crowd. This year has felt like a nonstop political circus and that moment of unity stood out to me. It’s also what I love about live music. We get to step outside the disillusionment for a while and stand shoulder to shoulder with people who feel the same frustrations, and perhaps the same hope.
As an elder millennial, I’m raising my kids to inherit all of this: the art, the music, the sense of belonging that lives inside rooms like this. Every band tonight, from Anxious to Hot Mulligan, reminded us that vulnerability can still be loud and worth showing up for.
HOT MULLIGAN SETLIST
Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, New York (11/7/2025)
Moving to Bed Bug Island
And a Big Load
It Smells Like Fudge Axe in Here
Island in the Sun
Bon Jonah
This Makes Me Yummy
Monica Lewinskibidi
How Do You Know It’s Not Armadillo Shells?
Fly Move (The Whole Time)
Cream of Wheat of Feet Naw Cream of (feat.)
Mix Master Wade on the Beat
Gans Media Retro Games
Carbon Monoxide Hotel
No Shoes in the Coffee Shop (Or Socks)
Drink Milk and Run
Shhhh! Golf Is On
Monster Burger and a $5 Beer
Stickers of Brian
Let Me See Your Mounts
Slumdog Scungillionaire
This Makes Me Yucky
* Equip Sunglasses *
BCKYRD
ANXIOUS SETLIST
Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, New York (11/7/2025)
Call From You
Counting Sheep
Bambi’s Theme
In April
Down, Down
Your One Way Street
Some Girls
Growing Up Song
