Declan McKenna (w/ Annie DiRusso) at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY [Photos]

British indie-rocker Declan McKenna brought his Zeros tour to Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on Monday night for the second of two sold-out shows at the venue. Fans had waited four years to see the artist play in the United States again, and the air in the venue was electric with excitement.

Opener Annie DiRusso, an indie-rock artist based in Nashville, gave an energetic performance to start the night as she played her various singles – starting with her newest track, “Call It All Off,” followed by 2018’s “Don’t Swerve” and 2019’s “Dead Dogs.” There were many Annie DiRusso fans in the audience screaming her lyrics and plenty of new fans hearing her for the first time bopping along. 

Annie and her band were decked out in matching Hawaiian-print dresses, which added a fun indie vibe to the set, which ended with “20,” “Infinite Jest,” “Coming Soon,” and the TikTok viral track “Nine Months.” 

Declan McKenna’s long-awaited return to the U.S. in support of his 2020 release (and second full-length album) Zeros was not a disappointment as he played the album in almost its entirety – performing 9 of the ten tracks, and to fan’s excitement, he also performed eight of the eleven tracks from his debut 2017 album What Do You Think About the Car?

Fans dressed in silver spandex and glittery space helmets waited anxiously for the indie-rocker to take the stage as he opened with “Beautiful Faces” and encouraged crowd participation as fans would “lift their hands up” along with him as he sang the same lyric.

A showman of few words, Declan focused on his performance as he moved from one track to another with “Rapture,” followed by three tracks from What Do You Think About the Car?, “Bethlehem,” “Make Me Your Queen,” and “The Kid’s Don’t Wanna Come Home.”

Declan’s long set continued with “Twice Your Size,” “Emily,” “My House,” and “The Key to Life on Earth,” followed by “Listen To Your Friends,” “Humongous,” “Isombard,” and “You Better Believe!!!” before ending his set with “Be an Astronaut.”

Fans were not fooled when he left the stage, as they knew there was more to come from McKenna, who had not yet played his two biggest tracks. After a few minutes of waiting, Declan once again took the stage for his five-song encore starting with “Daniel, You’re Still a Child.”

Known for his use of lyrical, political commentary mixed into bright and sunny tracks, Declan rose to prominence with his debut single, “Brazil,” about the corruption surrounding the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Much to fans’ delight, he played the track in his encore after he performed “Why Do You Feel So Down” and “Eventually, Darling.”

Switching to his Union Jack guitar, Declan finished off the night by bringing all his energy to his final song, “British Bombs,” a danceable track with candid lyrics about the British arms trade.

Whether fans in the audience paid attention to the lyrics or just love Declan for his anthems, the night ended too quickly, and they are all anxiously awaiting his next tour.

Declan McKenna (w/ Annie DiRusso) @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (Brooklyn, NY) on October 10, 2022

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