Orlando may have had streets soaked from afternoon rain, not to mention heat that would force anyone indoors to the comfort of air conditioning, yet some brave souls managed to overcome these variables and indulge themselves by catching T-Kette and The Blow at The Social. Although the gig started 90 minutes after the doors opened–hey, us kids can only drink so much Pabst Blue Ribbon–the show was well worth the wait.

T-Kette, the underdog of the night, hit the stage and brought their Louisiana sound to Orlando. A concoction of The Breeders, Sonic Youth, and Best Coast washed over the audience, and all seemed content with the cleaning. Still, the crowd didn’t feel compelled to fully commit to the sound and resorted to coffee talk (or Pabst chat) for the remainder of the set. Nevertheless, T-Kette’s set provided enough eye candy to suffice. Rachel Nederveld led the band via guitar or smashed drums, Allison Bohl flirted between guitar and bass amidst lead vocal duty, and Jonny Campos struck a balance between percussion and bass. In other words, this band does not like to sit still.

Following T-Kette, the stage was immediately left barren. This having been my first time catching The Blow, I was astonished to see nothing more than a fan, a light, and a microphone onstage. Questions abounded: Where was the keyboard? Surely they have to have an amp or two? What about a turntable? Something? Confusion aside, a lone Mikhaela Yvonne Maricich grabbed the stage and shocked everyone. Steadily, she looked past the audience, began tapping on the microphone, and gave us her voice. No music followed. No synthesizers. No tambourines. Just Maricich and her microphone.

As eerie and off-putting as that may come off to an audience, which it did for a good moment or two, for some reason it also felt settling and assuring. As vulnerable as Maricich was up on that barren stage, she too made the audience feel vulnerable, which inevitably made for a good, intimate atmosphere. Deep, huh?

I digress… The set as a whole was interesting, and this concept of vulnerability played a key part. Maricich openly admitted,“I haven’t put out a record in six years! What the fuck have I been doing?” This is a very true statement, and I admit, from time to time, that I have asked that very question, but what was so astonishing was that the set itself was still phenomenal and surprisingly fresh.

It’s not as if Maricich was focused so much on the music; no, she was focused on her fan base. Constant communication and banter were passed between the stage and the audience, and at moments I felt as if I was at a Weird Al Yankovic concert. She made comments like “Do I look like a pop star?” and “Do I look like a world-famous lesbian?” while wearing bondage-esque heels, spent five minutes combing her hair onstage, and sang into a light with a fan blowing smoke at her body… this was not the traditional type of set that Orlando is used to experiencing.

Music, while not paramount, still played an important role. Songs like “Hey Boy”, “Fists Up”, and “Parenthesis” resonated throughout the room, but even a few untitled and unfinished songs surfaced and were adored by the audience.

To say the least, if you have a chance to see The Blow anytime soon… don’t miss the opportunity.