Head Automatica Revs Up, Opening the Main Stage at Great South Bay Music Festival

By Grace Bonamico

Photos by Isabella Escobar

The first main stage performance of the Great South Bay Music Festival kicked off with a blast from the electro-rock past as Head Automatica returned to the stage in full form. Opening the main stage with a high-energy set, the band delivered a performance that felt both nostalgic and reinvigorated. For Long Island native Daryl Palumbo, fronting the group once again, this time in his own backyard, was more than just another show: it was a homecoming.

“It was great,” Palumbo said after the set. “The weather was outrageously beautiful. I can’t complain. Head Automatica hasn’t played in a few months. So it was good—it felt great.”

That spontaneity translated into a set filled with energy. One of the biggest bursts of energy came during the closing number, as fans clapped and sang along to the beloved “Beating Heart Baby,” a song that, funnily enough, wasn’t even meant to end the set. “Somebody told us we only had three minutes left; we were supposed to be closing with a different tune,” Palumbo explained. “If that’s going to happen, I think ‘Beating Heart Baby’ would probably be a decent one to end on.”

The intended closer was “Please Please Please (Young Hollywood),” a track with a genre-bending punch that blends electronic, ‘80s, and Afrobeat influences. “That one was the one we typically close with, with this big, wild electronic ’80s Afrobeat sort of funky little ending to it,” he said. “Yeah, it’s dope. It’s very nasty and I wish we got to play, you know.” Though the song was cut due to time, it’s clear it remains a staple in the band’s ideal live set.

Head Automatica split from 2021 to 2023 and the spark to reunite came unexpectedly as fans reached out about the 20th anniversary of the band’s debut album, Decadence. “I didn’t really think that I would be doing Head Automatica again,” Palumbo admitted. “But I brought it up to my BFF, Richard Flesh, and the idea kind of immediately went from never having entered my head to totally making sense, and it managed to work out.” 

Despite the break, Palumbo made it clear the return wasn’t just for a few singles. “There’s tons more. Yeah, there’s going to eventually be an album, absolutely,” he confirmed. “There’ll probably be things even before then.”

While a sense of musical nostalgia shapes elements of Head Automatica’s sound, the creative drive remains focused on evolution. “I love older new wave and wild, old electronic production from different time, but breaking new ground is definitely part of it. I want everything to sound new and different and adventurous,” he said.

Now, just over two decades since Decadence, time has only shaped Palumbo’s perspective. “I’m a lot older. I learned a lot about people, who to work with, who to avoid, and I get to play with my best buddies who are so goddamn talented that it’s like, wildly humbling,” he said.

Head Automatica’s tight, passionate set delivered from the opening to closing note.  Whether you were a longtime fan who came to relive Decadence-era memories or a festival attendee who wanted to hear new music, this band thrilled the crowd during Night 1 of the Great South Bay Music Festival.