Live Log 2026: In The Garden Of @

To celebrate their signing to the legendary 4AD label and their upcoming sophomore album, the band known as [@] (and pronounced “At”) hosted two free concerts in community spaces in Philadelphia and NYC, which they called Garden Parties. So, on August 1st, my daughter and I crammed into the Lower East Side’s 6th and B Community Garden for the show, which was a delightful way to begin the last month of summer.

LEYA opened the evening with their meditative and haunting pieces for harp, violin, and vocals.

Then Victoria Rose and Stone Filipczak of [@] took the stage and played their odd, beautiful, and beautifully odd folk-rock songs. In this setting, at least, gone were the electronics of their last EP, 2024’s Are You There God? It’s Me, [@], which also featured when I saw them in Bryant Park that year.

Flute and clarinet added to the idyllic atmosphere, while several searing guitar solos amped up the excitement. Among the original songs, each one filled with attitude and emotion, was a cover of Bob Dylan’s Mama You’ve Been On My Mind, which began as a goof and ended in glory. But it was Autosmile, the first single and title track from their next album (out October 16th on 4AD), that garnered the biggest reaction from the audience. Couples hugged as Rose and Filipczak sang, “I don’t know how I belong to you/But I do somehow,” and more than one face was streaked with tears. Clearly, the song and the band are having a moment.

Before the music started, we had a chance to visit with the turtles and see all the flowers and plants in this East Village gem. Despite having lived in NYC all my life, I had never set foot in there. I hope to revisit soon!

When we left, there was a crowd on the sidewalk who had been listening from outside the fence. [@] has an extensive US, UK, and European tour lined up starting at the end of September. Based on the devotion to [@] I saw growing in the garden, I’d recommend buying your tickets now and getting there early.

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