Indie sleaze core is back in a major way, and New York band ,Geese is at the forefront.
On October 25, 2025, the cult band Geese captured the full attention of fans at the Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver. Fans flocked to the venue hours before doors and braved the rain, all in hopes of getting a good spot for one of the most talked-about post-punk/indie bands at the moment. In line waiting for the doors, I saw a man in a sleeveless goose onesie enter the building. Geese’s “Getting killed tour” has been highly anticipated by fans, and tonight was no different, as resale tickets were going for as much as $438 for a 594-cap venue. It is safe to say that most attendees were die-hard, considering the prices. Excited fans shuffled into the oversold venue and waited for the opener.
On this tour, the band “Racing Mount Pleasant” would be opening for Geese. This band of eight incredible musicians took the stage. Instruments ranging from: Trumpet, saxophones, violins, and reverbed/fuzzy guitar, made for a very atmospheric indie folk feeling to their sound.Overall, a really interesting sound and a cool vibe.
After exiting the stage, chants for Geese began. The crowd became tighter as their stage time grew closer. This venue didn't have a barricade; I watched fans gripping the stage in anticipation. The intermission music had a dip in volume, and fans began to cheer, only for the volume to get loud again, causing a communal “awwwww”, which made me giggle.
Finally, it was time, and I could feel everyone holding their breath. The lights were lowered, and the crowd exploded with cheering as Geese entered the stage. Singer Cameron Winter radiated the same rockstar aura as early 2000s Julian Casablancas. The Opening percussion for their song “Husbands” began. Upon the first notes, the entire crowd was absolutely enthralled. The band sounded almost identical to their record, dare I say better. Cameron Winter’s live Vocals were so raw and crisp. Max Bassin and Dominic DiGesu’s drums and bass rattled the building. Emily Green’s Guitar riffs cut through the crowd with precision. This was one of the most “unplugged” concerts I've ever attended; very few people had their phones out recording. Their performance was so captivating, I only ever saw a handful of phones in the sea of smiling faces. Everyone was truly there for the music. Every fan was locked in and knew every word. I really can’t emphasize how lovely it was to see so few phones in the crowd. I am so used to dodging phones or even having to look through the phones to actually see the band I paid to see. This new feeling of almost everyone being present in the moment was unreal.
At one point in the night, a man with a bleached buzzcut could be seen crowd surfing. Cameron Winter spoke into the mic, “If you’re gonna bring him around, bring him here”, pointing down at the stage. The crowd cheered, and the crowd surfer was “washed off stage”.He jumped on stage and was greeted by a grinning Winter, with his hand extended. They shook hands, and the surfer then fell back into the crowd. This moment kicked off a series of crowd surfers throughout the whole performance. The band never missed a beat as new people appeared on the stage to have their turn at diving into the crowd. Everyone was having a blast. Finally, the first woman began to crowd surf. Cameron Winter again asked the crowd to bring her to the stage. She arrived at the stage; her feet only having touched the stage for a millisecond, she put her hands together above her head and dove back into the crowd. The speed at which she stepped onto the stage and immediately jumped off caused Cameron to laugh into the mic and miss a few words. Throughout the rest of the concert, I'd see the occasional beaming surfer float by.
Notable bangers of the set include: “2122”, “I see Myself”, “Au Pays Du Cocaine”, “Taxes”, and “Trinidad”. “2122” is such a fun song to hear live; it’s just good old-fashioned rock and roll. “I See Myself” was recently added to the setlist. Cameron’s vocals on that song are very gritty, and I can only imagine how straining it must be to sing, but I selfishly relished in the fact that he was singing it, as it is one of my favorites. In between songs and nearing the end of their set, Cameron Winter could be seen taking a phone from a fan. Told it was on FaceTime, Cameron sarcastically exclaimed, “Oh yeah, I'm not doing anything right now,” with a huge smile on his face. The crowd laughed as Cameron waited for the person on the other end to pick up. Faced with an Android phone (derogatory), Cameron struggled to put the phone on speaker and thought he had accidentally hung up.
“Is this an android? Are you on Bluetooth right now,” talking to the phone's owner. He continued, “Oh shit, I hung up, oh wait, no I didn’t, dude, I can’t hear a word you’re saying, he’s gesticulating”.Finally, the other person could be heard through the phone. Cameron held the phone to the mic and said, “Say something to the people”.The person replied, “It's an android, make as much fun of him as you can”.The crowd laughed as Cameron finished the call with “Alright, I’ll see you later”.
Next was “au pays du Cocaine” and “taxes”, which were both incredibly gut-wrenching live. Their set ended with “Trinidad”.This song was insane. I could see a massive hole opening up in the pit during the first verse. The tension built as Cameron sang, inching closer to the chorus. As soon as the chorus hit, a mosh pit ensued, and white lights began to strobe. Hundreds of fans screaming, “There’s a bomb in my car” with Winter. Geese is an incredible live band and outperformed my already high expectations. The waves they are making in the music scene are reminiscent of the “indie sleaze era” of the early 2000s, with artists like The Strokes, Interpol, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I can’t wait to see what they do next, and urge you to try and see them now while they are still playing smaller venues (if you’re able to get there before resellers). Their massive sound is meant to be experienced in large venues, and I definitely see that in the near future for them, after seeing them live.
