Though he was a longtime resident of the nation’s capital, Bartees Strange is clearly more of a Baltimore guy.
Recently relocated to the Charm City and fresh off the release of his third studio album, Strange packed Ottobar the night of April 25, showing his newest songs to be some of his very best and dazzling a crowd that included some of his close friends from across the DMV.
Performing tracks from Horror, which dropped on Valentine’s Day, he looked at home on a stage that has over the years featured a mind-blowing list of artists.
Strange — whose birthname is Bartees Cox — said it was his first official headlining, ticketed gig in Baltimore, and he commemorated the night with the diverse sounds of his latest recording.
Listen to Bartees Strange’s latest studio album, Horror, via Spotify:
He and his bandmates pulled off a pumping take on the new track “Lovers,” following with a bluesy, bursting version of “Sober” that showed off Strange’s range as a vocalist and his electric guitar chops.
As expected, those on hand last Friday night heard “Baltimore,” named after Maryland’s largest and grittiest city. They also heard some of its genesis.
“I spent a long time trying to figure out where to live,” he told the venue. “I didn’t like living in DC. I moved to New York, but it costs too much fucking money.”
Upon returning to the area, he realized he’d been right to identify DC as a personal mismatch — “maybe I was wrong, then I was like ‘nope.’”
But a visit to Baltimore convinced him to eventually make it his new hub.
“I was like, ‘oh, people live here.’”
Setlist
Doomsday Buttercup
Lovers
Sober
Lie 95
Too Much
Wants Needs
Fallen for You
Heavy Heart
Baltimore
17
Boomer
Backseat Banton
Encore
Stone Meadows
Mustang
Flagey God
Below are color digital shots along with some black-and-white home-rolled/developed/scanned 35mm film photos of Bartees Strange along with local opening act Ekko Astral performing at Ottobar in Baltimore the night of April 25, 2025. All images copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.
Ekko Astral
