published
November 19, 2025
author
Jordan Grammer
Sam Smith is in the midst of a multi-month residency here in New York City and we were fortunate enough to experience a magical evening with the talented vocalist at Warsaw. While traditionally a venue for hard-hitting genres like punk or metal, Warsaw in Greenpoint opened its doors to crooner Sam Smith and their large musical accompaniment in October and so far, it’s been a smash success. Where mosh pits usually prevail, one could hear a pin drop between notes as Smith serenaded the crowd with their gut-wrenchingly beautiful performance of a catalog not only spanning decades, but every spectrum of the human experience from love to loss to lust. Just when we thought we’d fully experienced the breadth of Smith’s talent, they spun up a few covers that dealt the final emotional blow. There was not a dry eye in the house for the “Book of Love” cover by The Magnetic Fields.
What we love most about Smith is that in their music, there is something for everyone, and that was reflected in the sold-out crowd we experienced at Warsaw. From children sitting on parents’ shoulders to elders embracing in the VIP seats, there was enough love in the room that evening to light up the whole city. Smith recognized the intimacy of the room, saying:
“I have been touring so much, since the age of 21. I went from playing in venues of this size to playing in arenas in one year. I stayed in those arenas for nearly 10 years,and it was a really amazing experience, and I love singing in those rooms, but my favorite shows, and the ones that changed me as an artist, were the gigs that were shared in rooms like this, that are built for music.”
While we attended one of the first nights of the residency at Warsaw, there are still plenty of opportunities to catch Sam Smith and their wonderful accompaniment. You can find dates for the remaining shows below!
Upcoming dates are November 19, 21, 22, 26, 28, and 29, and December 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, and 13.
Connect with Sam Smith on Instagram, Spotify, and their website.
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The Womack Sisters carry a family legacy into Music Hall of Williamsburg 🎤
Hailing from LA, the soul and R&B trio of BG, Zeimani, and Kucha keep the Womack family's musical story alive, one three-part harmony at a time. On Tuesday, September 29, they brought that story to Music Hall of Williamsburg, and the groovement was there to soak it in. One groover in line told us they found the sisters through an Instagram video, and by the end of the night, it was easy to see why that clip stuck. 👀
the room
Ribbon red light bathed the stage while the sisters walked out in near-identical white suit dresses with black buttons and black tights. The crowd matched the mood with cowgirl boots, cowboy hats, and brown leather, a desert country look with a homey, intellectual edge. Groovers around us whispered Womack family lore, which told us this crowd came for the history as much as the music. ✨
the legacy
The sisters leaned right into it. They acknowledged all the Womack brothers, called out their dad Cecil, and sang a few of the brothers' songs. They're also Sam Cooke's granddaughters, and that lineage showed up in every note.
Their rendition of "California Dreamin'" was a highlight. Bobby Womack recorded a soulful cover of the song in 1968, and it became his first major hit as a solo artist, so hearing the sisters carry it forward felt like a full-circle moment.
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The sisters have mastered three-part harmony. Thirty minutes in, we noticed almost every song lived at a slow tempo, a far cry from the pace of EDM or the tempo of a lot of NYC drill. That slow burn gave the harmonies room to breathe. One sister told the crowd, "you make it easy baby," and the crowd fell in love with the sisters just as easily.
When the trumpet, trombone, and sax joined in on "I Just Don't Want You (To Say Goodbye)," the whole room got a lift. 🎶
what groovers are saying 🎧
That old-school feel is exactly what hooked Mike from Queens, who came to his first Womack Sisters show after falling for "Monster" about three months ago.
"They make me feel like I'm in a *Shaft* movie," Mike said. The Motown vibes take him back to being a little kid running through his family's apartment in Queens while his mom played music.
For Mike, the draw is originality. "They don't sound like anyone in today's day and age, and I like that." His advice to the sisters: stay the course and stay original. His advice to everyone else: come see them, every race, every color, every age. 🙌🏿
where they go next
Originality is also the big question for what comes next. We're excited to see where the sisters take their songwriting. Can they keep that Motown sound and modernize it? We believe they can. Their new self-titled project, The Womack Sisters, is a great place to start, and it includes "Monster."
The sisters can definitely fill a large room, and the crowd showed up. They closed with an encore of "My Sisters And Me," a tribute to their unity and a soulful goodbye. 🙌🏿
catch them again 📣
Missed the show, or want a second helping? The Womack Sisters have more NYC dates coming up:
- Wednesday, September 30** at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, 10:00 PM
- Thursday, October 1** at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, 7:00 PM
- Friday, October 2** at Apollo Theater in New York, 10:00 PM
groove on ✌🏿
This show was one of the picks for groovement insider members. Peep the groovecal for more upcoming shows, and tag @thegroovement.nyc in your concert IG stories to get featured on the groovecam. Stay groovy!
Connect with The Womack Sisters on Instagram, Spotify, TikTok and their website.
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