Annabel Lee Shines at Elsewhere Zone One

Words & photos: Natalia Barroso

Friday night at Elsewhere Zone One began with a familiar kind of Brooklyn cool—people hanging back, sipping drinks, unsure of what they were about to witness. But by the end of Annabel Lee’s set, the crowd had shifted into something unrecognizable: thrashing, wide-eyed, and consumed by her world.

Her performance was a slow, deliberate build—each song sharper, louder, and more emotionally charged than the last. It wasn’t just the music that pulled people in—it was her.

Annabel Lee is a Los Angeles-based punk rocker who makes music that crackles with vulnerability, rage, and riotous honesty. Her 2023 album, Mother’s Hammer, with tracks like “Up” and “Ugly Girl,” revealed a diaristic, unfiltered voice—one that doesn’t flinch from grief, addiction, or self-destruction. And she brings that same fearlessness and shamelessness to the stage. She widens her eyes like she’s about to lose it, thrashes her body to the beat, and throws herself so completely into the moment that you can’t help but join in with her. It’s chaotic, it’s raw, and it’s fascinating.

Her performance of “Patti Smith” led with a contagious confidence. At first, people stood back, unsure. But then heads began to nod. Then came the full-body movement, the crowd pressing closer. Her headbanging became the cue—and eventually, everyone else was doing it too.

One of the most unforgettable moments came when she performed “The Other Side,” a gutting dedication to those who’ve lost someone to addiction. There were chips of melancholy tucked into her lyrics, but they were powered by an undercurrent of rage, joy, and something close to liberation. It was messy, loud, and, somehow—still fun.

With a presence that’s both confrontational and magnetic, she tore through her set with raw, unapologetic energy. Her voice, urgent, unfiltered, and razor-sharp—cut through the noise and left no room for passivity.

Annabel doesn’t just sing—she throws herself into each lyric like she’s living it in real time. Her voice, wild and deliberate, cracked open the air with a kind of urgency that demanded attention. What had started as a disengaged crowd had become a collective of awe-struck listeners—some cheering, some stunned into silence. Annabel didn’t just perform; she commanded. She made believers out of skeptics.