All photos by Nilo Tabrizy
Last night Music Hall of Williamsburg was full of Tei Shi’s whispery, sensual, baby-making music and we snuck backstage to capture some intimate moments just before and during her set. The Brooklyn-based musician played to a packed venue where one fan was eager enough to try a fake ID to finagle their way in. Yep, Tei Shi’s fans are willing to commit identity fraud to see her—which can only mean she’s a legit badass.
The last time I personally saw her perform was nearly a year ago at the Mercury Lounge in the Lower East Side, back when Val Teicher was at the beginning of her career as Tei Shi. Before that my last on-stage encounter with was in 2007 in a high school play back in Vancouver. From Collingwood School’s compartively diminuitive stage to now, Tei Shi has grown into a captivating live performer—one who Noisey has been championing since late 2013. At last her headphones-intimate-bedroom music is translating to a mesmeric show, as she flips between bopping around the stage with a tambourine, to sensually swaying, when her tunes called for it. Check out the pics below, plus keep your ears pricked for some very exciting Tei Shi news coming soon.
Nilo Tabrizy is a reporter at VICE News and she's on Twitter.