While the name Model/Actriz is not a direct reference to the VH1 Fashion Award Show featured in Zoolander, according to guitarist Jack Wetmore after the show, the band nevertheless ‘exists in the same universe’ as Zoolander. The guitarist chose not to elaborate further.
Hailing from Boston, MA, the four-piece is made up of vocalist Cole Haden, guitarist Jack Wetmore, bassist Aaron Shapiro, and drummer Ruben Radler. The three instrumentalists are punk types straight out of central casting with nonchalant demeanors punctuated by explosive performances.
Model/Actriz played a lights-out show at Ace of Cups on the evening of Friday September 19th, supported by Philly-based dance duo, Body Meat. The band’s first in Columbus, this set was the second date on their US tour supporting their explosive sophomore album Pirouette. Largely lauded as one of the best releases of 2025 so far, Pirouette builds on their strong debut Dogsbody with major stylistic and aesthetic growth as well as more emotionally intimate lyrics.
Ruben served as a living drum machine, playing club beats with robotic accuracy. Shapiro’s affected, dissonant, racing, and at-times ominous bass amplifies their sound’s underlying anxiety. Wetmore’s rapid playing, in combination with a tone so metallic and distressed that it hardly registers as guitar at times, distinguishes Model/Actriz’s askew sound. However, the focal point of the band is vocalist Cole Haden — somewhat of a model/actress(/singer) himself — an outrageous performer with serious starpower. Unlike his plainclothes bandmates, the singer seized stage outfitted in gorpcore that bordered a costume, complemented by high heel chelsea boots and bug glasses that he dramatically removed following the set opener “Vespers.” Near the night’s midpoint, Haden shed his black cloaked hoodie to reveal a white top and baby pink bunny hat whose ears flopped around like an Ariana Grande ponytail for the rest of the show.
Haden bears somewhat of a resemblance to Freddie Mercury, and seems to know it. The singer played into mic-stand theatrics, but with his own machine gun-style twist. If I had to imagine a backstory for Haden, I would say that he learned to thrive in the limelight as a backup dancer for Madonna or Kylie Minogue and quit when he found his true calling as a diva. While this is untrue, with his iconic energy, it might as well be. With an aura in the leagues of Mick Jagger and Sasha Colby, Haden had the crowd both transfixed and obedient.
While soft ballad “Acid Rain” and the slow, cold “Divers” reveal a quieter, dejected side of the noise-driven group, the large part of Piroutte lingers on experimental club music: sometimes pirouetting and applying lipstick, other times aggressively bouncing to strobe lights. Through every gear shift, Haden valiantly helped the crowd navigate the ebbs and lows of the show with his expressive and magnetic performing style as “Doves,” “Cinderella,” “Diva,” and “Poppy” deepened the degree of dimensionality through their itching drumbeats and abrasive guitar tones.
Haden is effortlessly likable because, even through his grandiose stage persona, he comes across very genuine. His love for the fans and eagerness to connect also shone through his stage personality. Each time the performer reached out his hand for help stepping down from the stage into the crowd, a dozen reached back out without question, just as they would toward any star like Nicki Minaj — or dare I say —- Beyonce. However, once on the descent Haden sang and danced face-to-face with fans, reaching the far-flung corners of the crowd several times, and sticking around with the rest of the band to meet fans after the show.
Model/Actriz are no posers; they are on a strong upward trajectory and give everything you want from a show. Their set was a masterclass in tension and release, theatricality and sincerity, chaos and control. Witnessing this Pirouette album cycle and tour, Model/Actriz’s strut down the stardom runway promises an exciting future in the spotlight.
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