New York is at the forefront of so much media, spanning decades. Known as the city that never sleeps, it has produced musical gems and legends. The Strokes, Talking Heads, Le Tigre, the list goes on. To reference Chappell Roan, your favourite artist’s favourite artist probably started in New York. In 2017, your next favourite artist formed there.

Been Stellar is a five-piece outfit based in NYC. They have supported every big name in modern guitar music, including The 1975, Idles, Fontaines, D.C., and Beabadoobee. On November 22, I sat in the bar of King Tut’s Wah-Wah Hut with frontman Sam Slocum and guitarist Skylar Knapp – to talk about their debut album Scream from New York, NY, touring, musical loves and influences before their sold-out show in the infamous venue. Within the first few minutes of our conversation, the confidence and passion they have was imminently apparent. Sam and Skylar had a warmth around them and a strong, clear love for music as an art form. Even as they took to the stage, their musicality carried through, and the rest of the band held that talent, too. Having just released their debut album in June, we talked about it whilst ‘All My Friends’ by LCD Soundsystem played in the back, this year feels like the start of something huge for Been Stellar.

Credits: Evie Shields

Despite coming straight off a supporting tour with Fontaines D.C., Been Stellar’s momentum has not died out. In the first six months of their debut album, they have already done so much and are only getting bigger.

“This tour feels like the closest we’ve gotten, as you can almost see the dial tick a little bit. We’ve been doing this for so long, and we’re so close to it, it’s hard to have an objective sense of, is it going anywhere? This tour has been the first time we’re like, ‘Oh wow, this is clearly resonating with people.’ We’re a very confident band, but it’s nice to see.”  

Sam and Skylar’s feelings about their music, touring, and being in a band were inspirational as someone so close in age to them. They’re so passionate about what they love and do, which transferred so smoothly from their words with me to their presence on stage. Guitarist Skylar told me this headline tour has been the most fun and motivating since the release of the album, as, unlike opening for other bands, there is not so much pressure to impress the crowds – he said there is comfort in knowing people are there to hear the music they wrote. Two songs on the setlist, ‘Pumpkin’ and the final song ‘I Have The Answer’, take the crown for songs they were most anticipating coming out and they’re the proudest of. Their music is very guitar-driven, and some songs nod to the shoegaze era, their discography is cinematic. They divulged to me their current favourite artists, with Skylar expressing a dear love for Elliott Smith, and Sam telling me about Alex G and the American band Failure. Whilst influences and interests do transfer to their own music, there is a clear authenticity to Been Stellar, which Sam spoke about:

“You look at people (you listen to) being authentic, and you think, you want to then be authentic yourself.’

Credits: Evie Shields

After a powerful opening set from upcoming Irish band Cardinal’s, Been Stellar took the stage with a graceful force, opening with the title track ‘Scream from New York, NY’. From the get-go, the crowd was enamoured with the band’s ability, sounding almost better than their studio versions. This was my second time seeing Been Stellar, the first being in Hamburg in March – opening for The 1975. Linking into what Skylar said, there was a clear difference in their performance as the crowd already knew their music, there was no questioning their confidence. There is a musical obsession present in the band that you rarely see – each song in their setlist flowing flawlessly into the next.

I was so impressed by their synchronistic ability as musicians and how well the five of them blend. My highlights of their set were ‘Manhattan Youth’, ‘Start Again,’ and ‘Ohm’ – but really, it was one of the best gigs I have been to this year. The entire set was great, and it was an honour to speak to them and attend the show in such an iconic, bucket-list venue.