Hockey Warm Up for CMJ Showcase With Rooftop Gig

Hockey played an intimate set on the rooftop of Spin Magazine's New York headquarters on Thursday, illuminated by just a few stage lights, flashing cameras and the downtown Manhattan skyline. The Portland, Ore. band wore their snuggest jeans for the occasion and powered through a six-song set prior to their CMJ appearance at Mercury Lounge later in the evening.

Singer Ben Grubin took turns strutting behind the mic and grabbing an extra pair of drumsticks to keep the beat next to percussionist Anthony Stassi. The frontman admitted to the crowd that this was not the first time the band played on a rooftop, after admiring the view from the Chinatown office. "We actually played on a roof once in San Francisco. It took us two hours to move our stuff up there and there were like four people," he deadpanned.

Hockey have clearly widened their reach since then and the band is promoting its just-released debut, 'Mind Chaos,' a slinky New Wave compilation that has already charmed audiences across the Atlantic. With a set list that included '3AM Spanish,' 'Learn to Lose' and 'Put the Game Down,' the group easily had the cardigan-clad crowd bouncing along to their '80s-inspired grooves.