Zachary Weg
On Sunday, in a rare appearance, indie rock supergroup The Hard Quartet rocked Williamsburg.
As part of its free concert series (with Academy Records), Summer Thunder, Union Pool hosted the band for an afternoon show that drew a large crowd. On Meeker Avenue, across from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway underpass, a long line snaked around the sidewalk. It was a sweltering day but the heat wasn’t going to stop this throng of rock fans.
One of these fans, who went by Ashley G., arrived at Union Pool shortly after the 2pm start time and was especially excited for the show.
“I follow the venue on Instagram, and I’m familiar with the individual members of the band,” she said. Speaking of Union Pool, which has been open for 25 years and is a Williamsburg staple, she continued, “It’s been around a long time and, whenever I can, I try to go to their free shows. They’re usually a lot of fun, pretty low-maintenance as far as, y’know, you just wait on the line, they look at your ID, and you get in. And you can’t beat a free show, good vibes, and great drinks.”
This was no ordinary free show, however. It was the first concert in nearly a year of The Hard Quartet, the new band that gathers Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, Jim White, and Emmett Kelly. All rock stalwarts (with Malkmus notably being the frontman for Pavement), the musicians announced themselves as The Hard Quartet in July 2024 and released their eponymous debut album in October of that year. The record received widespread acclaim for its stellar guitar work and resonant songwriting, catapulting the band to fandom, both nationally and locally.
“They don’t seem to take themselves too seriously,” Ashley G. says. “They’re seasoned musicians who have a strong hold on the indie scene but, look, I mean, they’re playing Union Pool right now, a free show. And I always appreciate people, musicians and artists, who have some weight behind their name but also haven’t lost their roots of just being musicians and loving what they do.”
A musician herself, Ashley G. particularly appreciates The Hard Quartet’s contribution to the New York City music scene. “I would say they probably bring a spirit of just continuing to make music for the love of making music, which I feel as though now is kind of starting to, y’know, a lot of people are doing it ‘for the Gram,’ as they say, or doing it for not even artistic merit but external validation. It just seems like they [The Hard Quartet] do it because they love it, and it just so happens that they have some renown.”
Finally inside Union Pool, Ashley G. and her fellow attendees witnessed this fierce spirit on full display. After a strong set by opener, Rat Henry, and as DJ Fantasy Man spun tracks under the beating sun, The Hard Quartet took the stage. As their name hints, the band played a hard, guitar-fuzzed kind of rock that got the crowd bobbing their heads and stomping their feet. One man even let out a solitary yelp as the band started their set.
Ashley G., meanwhile, intently watched the band, and she was right; dressed in t-shirts and caps, The Hard Quartet were unassuming. They might seem to not take themselves too seriously but, with their tight guitar work and lyrics such as, “For how long and how high do we ride?/While we wait for the shade to reply/Up above the world again/Gone up above the world again,” they are rockers of a high order.
Playing songs from their self-titled record, including such gems as, “Heel Highway” and “Rio’s Song,” The Hard Quartet proved their mettle.
Closing with, “Chrome Mess,” even as the sky darkened, the band jolted this dog day afternoon with indie rock electricity.
