Laundry Day performed at Gabe’s in Iowa City on Friday Feb. 13. When I first heard of this show I was excited. I had a few friends who had said they were a really solid band and were happy they were coming to Iowa City. After I had gotten my ticket I figured maybe I should actually listen to their songs. After I listened I was a little disappointed. The songs I listened to weren’t bad just.. boring. The day came and I had to force myself to go after writing essays all day and this just felt like one more chore. As they went on stage the energy was way higher than I had expected it to be.
Once they started to play I was pleasantly surprised at their stage presence when they went on stage. It made me shocked that this was the same band I had been listening to in the weeks leading up to their performance. Their sound kept me engaged for the entire set which lasted about an hour and a half. I made the mistake of not listening to their newest album before going to this show. The band has come into a new sound that they own with their October 2025 album.
Even with hearing a bunch of amazing songs I had never heard they showed a master class in crowd work. They kept a high energy and talked to the crowd, guiding them through songs with different gestures. You can also tell they are just having fun, with great chemistry within the band and walking out into the crowd just to be with their fans. At one point they asked if anyone in the crowd had seen them before, and only three people raised their hands, but still everyone was singing along and new all the lyrics.
I had a great time at their show. I think that the intimate setting of Gabe’s helped capture an outstanding sound and environment for this show. If you have a chance to see Laundry Day live.
I would definitely recommend seeing them in person. It provides a different sound than their recorded songs, and their presence is commanding, drawing everyone into the show. Their songs can go from upbeat fun songs that have everyone jumping around making the floor shake to heartfelt songs that leave the crowd in tears. Overall they put on an amazing performance.
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