THROWBACK: DECLAN MCKENNA “WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BEACH?” TOUR AT THE CAPITOL THEATRE, NY – 10/15/24

Written by cupor1 on August 21, 2025

Photography and Review by Emily McCormack –

Like many other music devotees, a handful of artists carried me through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021. Declan McKenna was certainly one of those musicians whose music stuck with me throughout the whole isolation period…

His album Zeros served as the soundtrack to my online graduation from high school, the beginning of college, and my first adventures commuting to campus.

I was ecstatic when I noticed that Declan McKenna’s tour for his latest album would make a stop in New York! And oh boy, did he live up to the hype…

Before the headliner took the stage was opener Romanian-American indie artist Vlad Holiday, supporting his then-upcoming debut album My Favorite Drug. Holiday performed a fun set with some standout songs from the project, including “I Don’t Wanna Party Anymore,” “Downtown Baby,” “Closer,” and, of course, the title track “So Damn Into You.”

After Holiday set the enthusiastic tone for the night, it was time for Declan McKenna to take the stage.

From What Happened To The Beach?, McKenna opened with album single “Sympathy,” setting the epic tone for the night; He also played newer singles such as “Mulholland’s Dinner and Wine,” “Mezzanine,” “Honest Test,” first track “WOBBLE,” “I Write The News,” “Nothing Works,” and finishing the night off with “The Phantom Buzz (Kick In).”

While feeding the audience a healthy dose of newer songs, the singer-songwriter treated his seasoned fans with songs throughout his discography: “The Key To Life on Earth,” “Beautiful Faces” from Zeros (2020); Crowd favorite and title track “British Bombs” (2019); “Why Do You Feel So Down,” “Make Me Your Queen,” The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home,” and his most iconic single, “Brazil,” from his 2017 album What Do You Think About the Car?

McKenna also premiered the then-unreleased single “That’s Life,” a song that would only officially debut two weeks after the show!

This show was incredible from the first note to the final. As a fan who followed McKenna closest during his Zeros era, I loved getting a taste of both his earliest works and the most recent. The crowd spent the entire night jumping up and down, smiling and embracing the fun vibes from the stage to the back of the house!

As for the venue – I had somehow never heard of Capitol Theatre until my parents saw Sting (The Police) just the week before… I have been missing out! Located in Port Chester, New York, it was pretty easy to get to from Bergen County. There was a large pit for general admissions, and plenty of seating above on the mezzanine… Not to mention that the security and staff were super nice! I will certainly look out for future shows at the venue!

Following What Happened To The Beach? McKenna released singles “Champagne” and “That’s Life,” as well as supporting Imagine Dragons’ European LOOM Tour.

Vlad Holiday will embark on his headlining tour in October 2025, in between shows supporting Cage The Elephant on select dates of their Fall 2025 tour. You can check out tour dates here!

DECLAN MCKENNA –