Schur Had Cat’s Cradle Moving From Floor to Rafters

Schur packed the Back Room shoulder to shoulder, then backed up the hype with huge energy, a ridiculous drum solo and the kind of crowd connection that turns casual listeners into fans.

I had heard a few of Schur’s songs over the last year or two, but none of them had made it into my regular playlists. That changed after seeing the band live at Cat’s Cradle. I’ve had several of their songs on repeat ever since.

The Back Room was sold out and absolutely packed. People were shoulder to shoulder on the floor, lined along the balcony and spilling into the hallways. By the time Schur took the stage, the room was ready to explode—and the band gave everyone exactly what they came for.

For this show, Andrew Schur handled vocals and guitar alongside his brother Zach Schur on bass, Drew Sennett on keys, Vincent “Vinni” Le on saxophone and Adam Wooten on drums.

Andrew knew how to keep the crowd moving, but this did not feel like a frontman dragging the rest of the band behind him. Zach crushed his bass riffs, Drew added a lot to the sound on keys, and Vinni’s saxophone fit into the songs far better than it had any right to. Then Adam ripped through a drum solo that completely earned my respect. Every person on that stage brought something worthwhile.

The set included “Light Switch,” “Testarossa,” “Five Years” and “Sonder.” Before “Sonder,” Andrew explained that the song came from his first mushroom trip while riding the New York subway. That story somehow made perfect sense once the song started.

The encore got the loudest reaction of the night for reasons that were not entirely musical. Andrew came back out without a shirt, and quite a few women in the room were very clearly happy about it. One woman near me had been giving him the eye every chance she got all night, so I’m sure the encore worked out just fine for her.

My one complaint is purely from the photographer side: Andrew needs to open his eyes more. He sings with them closed a lot, which probably feels great in the moment but makes catching the right expression a pain in the ass. I still came away with plenty of strong shots, but he did not make it easy.

Musically, the only thing I kept thinking about was how good a violin or another string instrument could sound in this lineup. The band already moves between indie rock, hip-hop rhythms and reggae touches without forcing any of it. Some strings woven into the right songs could add another layer without taking away what already works.

The lighting at Cat’s Cradle was rough for photos, but the room has the kind of history and atmosphere you cannot manufacture. You enter through a small door off the alley and suddenly you are inside this dark, crowded space where bands have been building their names for decades. It felt like the right place for this show.

Overall, I’d give Schur an 8.1 out of 10. The performance turned a few songs I casually knew into music I actually wanted to hear again. Between the band, the crowd and the atmosphere, it was a killer night. I would absolutely see or photograph them again.