Lady Moon & The Eclipse
Joe's Pub425 Lafayette Street, New York 10003
Lady Moon & The Eclipse bring their seven-piece ensemble to Joe’s Pub on February 5. The group is led by founder, singer and songwriter Ngonda Badila, who performs as Lady Moon. This is a full-band appearance from the New York and Oakland-based project, whose songs draw on the group’s own idea of “Cosmic Soul,” pairing layered voices with rhythm-forward arrangements.
Lady Moon & The Eclipse describe themselves as a multicultural seven-piece band. Their sound combines “soaring vocal textures” with R&B and afrobeat-influenced rhythms, while another profile notes inspiration from “the cosmic soul.” The band has opened for Thundercat, Kamasi Washington, Amanda Palmer, Maxi Priest and Tank & the Bangas. Their debut EP, Believe, received recognition from OkayAfrica, Earmilk and Afropunk. A New York Times review called the music “Neosoul with a cross-genre bent that manifests through Afrobeat, gospel and funk,” adding that “the result is charmingly retro.”
The stage is set in a converted library space with a striped bar and photos of legends like Leonard Cohen and Amy Winehouse lining the walls. You'll find yourself seated on velvet couches or at candle-lit tables, close enough to hear every note from the back. The sound, engineered by technicians who've worked with John Legend and The Notorious B.I.G., is consistently ranked among the best in New York. Three shows a day, dinner and drinks served throughout, and a menu ranging from Italian small plates to craft cocktails; it's a place where music and conversation flow together, and where both rising stars and legends have made their U.S. debuts.