South Arcade heats up Mercury Lounge with sold-out show
A bit of a miscalculation in my calendar had me arriving to Mercury Lounge an hour or so early for the sold-out show South Arcade show. I joined the rest of the fans posted up beneath the construction scaffolding, riding out the tail-end of a Nor’easter, as we waited for doors to open. I don’t think there was a single person dressed for the weather, and within minutes the room filled to capacity, everyone happy to exchange the wind and rain for the shelter of the storied music hall.
RAUE
The opening act was Raue — a two-piece grunge band out of California. The low stage at Mercury was the perfect welcome mat for the duo, Paige Kalenian (vocals/guitar) and Jax Huckle (drums), both of whom feed off connection with the audience. Paige launched herself from the top of her amp as she struck the first chord and launched into short yet fierce set. Jax was equally impressive on drums, taking breaks between songs to chat with the crowd and soak in their energy. Alongside their own catalog, Raue included a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep.” Paige ended the set the way she started it — this time, climbing the drum kit and jumping across the stage.
SOUTH ARCADE
Following Raue’s high-energy opener, South Arcade took the stage. Just days earlier they were playing Austin City Limits in 80-degree heat, and now here they were: a Scottish alt-rock band facing a packed NYC crowd braving 50-degree weather on a rainy Monday (Oh yeah, did I mention this was on a Monday?!) . The contrast in these two gigs didn’t slow anyone down. Before they were even through the first song, you could feel the floor of Mercury Lounge flex under the weight of the crowd jumping in unison. That was my instant takeaway as South Arcade tore through their set— they carry the energy of a band built for bigger stages, yet feel just as at home in rooms that more closely resemble the U.K. clubs where they were first discovered.
Included within the well-executed was “Drive Myself Home”, a song they played eagerly for the crowd just days before it was released to streaming platforms. The song is also the lead track from the band’s upcoming album PLAY!, which drops November 21.
Their slot at Mercury Lounge was brief, as the venue cleared out to reset for a late-night act. But South Arcade had already anticipated the early evening and teased all week on their socials that fans willing to keep the night going could meet them at a hush-hush Brooklyn location for an after-show party and music video shoot.
RØKKR couldn’t make the after-show party, but clips from South Arcade’s socials made it clear the energy never dropped on that short subway ride to Brooklyn. The band continues their U.S. run from the East Coast to the West through early November, before heading back across the Atlantic for late-fall dates in the U.K. and Ireland, just in time to celebrate the release of PLAY!
sOUTH aRCADE SETLIST
Mercury Lounge, New York City, New York (10/13/2025)
2005
Nepo Baby
HOW 2 GET AWAY WITH MURDER
Fear of Heights
Change Your Mind
DANGER
Drive Myself Home
Silverlight
Riptide
Moth Kids
Sound of an Empty Room
Unaware
Supermodels
stone cold summer
