Playing New York for the first time in 10 years, Luna came to McCarren Park’s Green Label tent as part of Northside 2015 with a loud, brash set of songs spanning their 25 year career. Behind Dean Wareham’s ragged tales of love and those fallen on hard times, he and Sean Eden picked single notes fading to ragged feedback or scratched out wiry strands of melody. Their playing was fresh and incisive as ever, slicing through simply elegant bass lines from Britta Phillips and driving beats from drummer Lee Wall.
Beloved staples of the group’s mid ‘90s heyday came out early in the set including California (All the Way) and Chinatown, and thelight banter interspersed throughout – Dean’s identification of various buildings in the Manhattan skyline, tales of past trips to New York, and a round of Happy Birthday for Ms. Phillips – gave an intimate feel to the proceedings. The crowd was enthusiastic and full of parents who would have been in their early ‘20s 20 years ago, perhaps looking for a nostalgic rush or to introduce their youngsters to the music they love.
Choosing from the groups plethora of possible  closing tracks they landed 23 Minutes in Brussels – a slowly evolving shoegaze masterpiece. Two encores came in the form of a ‘90s nostalgia trip, Time to Quit, and a rousing version of Indian Summer from fellow early ‘90s drone rockers Beat Happening. A memorable start to Northside 2015.