Alex Consani<\/u><\/a> and crashing Lazer Dim\u2019s set like the night\u2019s secret level.<\/p>\nAfter all that, we caught up with Evil Giane, Cece Natalie and Ian to talk about what it meant from the stage side.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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What was the vision for the show?<\/strong><\/p>\nEvil Giane:<\/strong> It was really wholesome. Everybody went crazy and killed it. Each set had a different vibe, but the crowd was excited every time the energy shifted. Lazer bringing out Ian was unexpected, and of course Snow Strippers killed it as always.<\/p>\nHow would you compare this to past Surf Gang shows in New York?<\/strong><\/p>\nEvil Giane:<\/strong> This was definitely the biggest and cleanest one we\u2019ve done here. Usually our shows are a little more run-and-gun, even if the venues are good. But this one felt the most put-together production-wise, like the best we\u2019ve done so far in New York.<\/p>\nWhat stood out to you about the crowd?<\/strong><\/p>\nEvil Giane:<\/strong> There were a lot of people, even though it was raining. Everyone looked super cool. You had kids on their phones in the corners, people vibing on the bleachers, Gen Z everywhere just hanging out. It was headless energy but fun to watch.<\/p>\nWhat was the thought process behind the lineup?<\/strong><\/p>\nEvil Giane:<\/strong> We wanted to keep the same energy as our other shows. On paper it might not make sense, but once you\u2019re there you see how it all connects. It\u2019s different artists with the same vibe, the same world.<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s next for Surf Gang?<\/strong><\/p>\nEvil Giane:<\/strong> More of everything \u2014 way more music, shows, merch, pop-ups. We just did a weed collab with a friend and people loved it, even just for the packaging as a collector\u2019s item. That opened the door for maybe doing more collabs in that space.<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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What did this show mean to you, and how would you describe the overall vibe of the night?<\/strong><\/p>\nCece Natalie:<\/strong> It was definitely one of my top few favorite shows I\u2019ve ever done. Knockdown is one of my favorite venues \u2014 there\u2019s a magic to it. I even wore my wings to solidify the magic of that night. It was very social, too. I remember helping fans fix their makeup in the green room with my makeup bag.<\/p>\nHow would you describe your fans, and what makes them special?<\/strong><\/p>\nCece Natalie:<\/strong> I thought the crowd would go completely dead during the slower songs I played, but instead I saw them doing the phone flashlight thing. I think I happy cried a little inside. I\u2019m glad I can feel supported no matter what songs I choose to play, or choose not to play.<\/p>\nIan, you made a surprise appearance with Lazer Dim at Knockdown. How did that come together?<\/strong><\/p>\nIan: <\/strong>Lazer\u2019s my boy. I\u2019d been thinking about maybe asking him if I could pull up, but then he actually called me the day before like, \u201cYo, I\u2019ve got this show tomorrow night \u2014 come out, do a song.\u201d We\u2019d just dropped something together, and we\u2019ve been homies for about eight months now, so it made sense. I\u2019d never performed at a venue like that in the U.S. \u2014 only my own tour or festivals. It felt different, in a good way.<\/p>\nWhat was your impression of the show and the venue?<\/strong><\/p>\nIan: <\/strong>It was super packed. Knockdown\u2019s a legendary spot. We literally had to walk through the crowd from the green room to get onstage, which was bizarre but cool.<\/p>\nWere you familiar with Surf Gang and Snow Strippers before this?<\/strong><\/p>\nIan: <\/strong>Yeah, I\u2019ve known about Surf Gang since I was like 16 or 17 \u2014 super early days just from Instagram friends posting stuff. I\u2019ve always thought they were dope. Snow Strippers I just got put onto recently by my camera guy, and I loved them immediately.<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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I see you\u2019ve been following Cece Natalie for a minute now. What do you know about Cece?<\/strong><\/p>\nIan: <\/strong>[Laughs] Whatchu know about Cece Natalie? Well, my very first show ever was at this tiny clothing brand pop-up, maybe two years ago. There were like eight people there. She was in the group chat like, \u201cWhere are you guys?\u201d Just super sweet. I\u2019ve followed her since then, and it\u2019s dope to see her coming up.<\/p>\nFans also spotted you hanging out with Bhad Bhabie. Were you teasing a track together?<\/strong><\/p>\nIan: <\/strong>Maybe, may or may not be, yeah. She\u2019s crazy talented and can really rap. She hit me up a couple months ago, and I wanted to see what could come from it. I like to hang out with people I work with first \u2014 same with Sexy Redd, we\u2019re supposed to go to Miami next week to meet and vibe before we hit the studio. I don\u2019t like the industry thing of sending verses back and forth. If I can kick it with you in real life, that\u2019s where I want to put my energy.<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s your favorite Bhad Bhabie song?<\/strong><\/p>\nIan: <\/strong>The one that\u2019s like, \u201cBlowing up his phone I know I\u2019m trippin\u2019 for no reason,\u201d with Lil Candy Paint. That one\u2019s different. That\u2019s my favorite.<\/p>\nYou\u2019ve built a reputation for being strategic with how you tease things online. Do you think about that when you post?<\/strong><\/p>\nIan: <\/strong>Definitely, it\u2019s strategic \u2014 but the second I start overthinking it, it becomes less enjoyable, and I think fans can feel that. With Bhabie, for example, us hanging out was real, but I know posting those moments builds hype too. It\u2019s a balance.<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s next for you?<\/strong><\/p>\nIan: <\/strong>I\u2019ve got a mixtape coming very soon. Thursday night is gonna be a preview \u2014 a good night with friends, some special guests, maybe new songs. I want people to keep their phones down and just enjoy. We\u2019re not banning phones, but the whole vibe is about being present, not worrying about TikTok. Just party, act a fool, have fun. That\u2019s what I want to bring to the scene: be yourself, no judgment, and you won\u2019t get caught lacking online.<\/p>\nAny final message for your fans?<\/strong><\/p>\nIan: <\/strong>I love you, and we\u2019re gonna have so much fun. Lots of very fun stuff coming up \u2014 and I\u2019ve got a project fresh out the oven.<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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Photography: Alex Hodor-Lee<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The floor at Knockdown Center was already damp by the time Cece Natalie floated onstage in her wings. Kids in bunny ears and mesh tops passed around vapes and poppers, while others climbed the bleachers just to people-watch. This past Saturday, New York\u2013based rap collective Surf Gang took over the Queens venue on a rainy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3930"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3957,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3930\/revisions\/3957"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}