THOUGHTS: I don’t know how many times can I say it. I love this band. When I first saw them play opening for Omar Souleyman, I knew that I’d have to see them play again. Catching them at Culture Collide was my third time this year (the second time was at Echo Park Rising). I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If you’re a fan of the post-punk sounds of the Talking Heads, I’m sure you’ll dig this band. They are heading out on tour for the month of November, and I suggest you buy a ticket and check them out. Seriously. Buy a ticket. Check these guys out.
THOUGHTS: Holy Child is a lot of fun. If you’re looking for uptempo, energetic pop music with a beat, this is the band for you. They call their music “brat pop”, and I really couldn’t argue with the categorization. Their front woman, Liz, is a sprite full of energy, and I couldn’t help but be infused with the energy she gave out. They have a residency coming up at the Echoplex’s sister venue, The Echo, and I may have to make the trek out to Echo Park to catch them perform again.
In conjunction with G’Day USA, the Twilight Concert series presented “Australia Rocks The Pier”.
The headliner for the evening was the killer Australian band Jagwar Ma. I first got to see them perform at Coachella, and after my time in the photo pit expired, I made it a point to keep up with their music because I was duly impressed.
When I found out that they were scheduled to perform at the Santa Monica Pier, I circled the date in my calendar. Seriously … I was pumped to see a full set. In fact, being a music dweeb, I even lugged my LP of “Howlin” (their debut album) to the pier on the off chance that I could get some of the fellas to sign it.
Their set was terrific. They basically played their entire album (excluding “Did You Have To” and “Backwards Berlin”), and even threw in a couple covers. I was especially impressed with their cover of Nirvana’s “All Apologies”. It was unexpected, but truly great to hear.
Opening for Omar Souleyman was the Los Angeles-based, indie neo-disco band De Lux. I had gotten a little sampling of their music online, but listening to this band’s music live was something else.
De Lux is a favorite of KCRW DJs across the board (they are one of the few acts that ALL of the DJs play in their sets). I could hear why.
They may be a young band, but their sound is pretty damn sophisticated. A little synth-pop, a little electronic, a little disco, a little punk, a little funk … their music is a mish-mosh of styles that really blends together into a unique, almost throwback, sound.
I got to chat with a couple of the guys in the band after their set, and couldn’t help but rave about their sound. Though they’ve heard it before, I really emphasized my observation that their music really reminded me of the Talking Heads. Seaun Guerin, one of the founders and the lead vocalist, in particular, has a voice that’s as oddly wonderful as David Byrnes’ voice.
These guys are playing at the upcoming free music festival in Los Angeles, Echo Park Rising, August 15th-17th (TBD). I’m going to try and make it out for their gig. Hopefully, I’ll be able to snap some more pics of them jamming out.
On Thursday, July 31st the fifth concert of Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Concert Series features Jagwar Ma; an Australian psychedelic/dance band from in Sydney. I first saw this band perform live at Coachella this year. Their debut album “Howlin'”, with their neo-psychedlic, dance out, received high praise, and they are currently working on their sophomore album.
Their music reminds me of the Stone Roses, and I really, really dig their sound. I snapped a few decent pics of them at Coachella this year, but I’m hoping to do better this time around.
Also performing on the pier, opening for Jagwar Ma, is the New York based band Fascinator. I’m not too familiar with this band, but they’ve seem to got the same vibe as Jagwar Ma, so it should be a full evening to trippy music to enjoy at the pier.
I don’t do it as much as I used to, but I’ve always enjoyed going out to check out bands for the first time at venues I’ve never been to. An Instagram friend let me know of an independent artist showcase she was putting together through her company Badd Lemonade at Los Globos in Silverlake, and I decided to check out some new music.
The first band I saw perform was a band called Glass Battles, a five piece band indie pop band whose synch-rock sound is definitely conducive to movement on the dance floor.
The show at Los Globos was their first show in Los Angeles this year, and they were appreciative to be back rocking their hometown. Their next Los Angeles performance is Sunday June 8th at the LA PRIDE festival in West Hollywood. Follow them on Facebook to keep up with their other performances.
Los Globos is a pretty cool venue, but I found it terribly hard to snap good pics with their low and frenetic lighting. Proof that I’ll have to save up a couple of Gs to invest in some quality lens.
Jagwar Ma is three piece, Australian psychedelic/dance band that formed in Sydney. Their first full length album, Howlin’, in my opinion, reminded me a bit of the Stone Roses, and being a Stone Roses fan, I wanted to check out their live set. After my time in the photo pit had ended (side note: I had problems with my camera settings, and a lot of the pics that I thought were good came out underexposed <- insert sad face here), I spend another 15 minutes laid out on the grass under the shade of the the tent to let their clean, unique sound envelope me. If I hadn’t had a schedule of bands I wanted to shoot over the weekend, I would have bought myself a beer, and stayed there sprawled on the grass, in the shade, until the their set had ended. I’ve been a bit hesitant to purchase their LP, but I think I’ll need to remedy that the next time I’m at the local record shop.
To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.
Nic Offer of !!! (ChkChkChk) getting into the audience during their set.!!!’s latest album cover.
Over the past 5 months, while perusing a local store, I kept noticing an album cover for a band that I wasn’t familiar with (see right). The band’s name was !!! (pronounced ‘ChkChkChk’) and a record store employee told me that they were from Northern California and described their style of music as dance. I didn’t ask to hear any of the music play on the store sound system, and for some reason I neglected to look them up online each time I got home, but I was often reminded of them often because the cover to their LP was always staring me in the face whenever I entered that record store .
Fast forward to the FYF Festival, I noticed that they were listed as an early evening set. I decided to check them out, and anticipated an energetic set. I was not disappointed. A large band consisting of 8 members, the music was groove centric, the band was tight, and the lead singer was singing and busting moves all over the stage. In fact, the lead singer’s energy was off the charts and it spread into the audience as everybody around me was bouncing to their tunes. My first impression was that !!!’s sound was if David Byrnes of the Talking Heads started up in the 2010s, with splashes of LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip. Take a listen/look at the video clip below to make your own opinion.
Nic Offer of !!! “saluting” the crowd.
The photographers in the press pit left after their second song, and Nic Offer, the lead singer, yelled out, “Hey, where you guys going?!?! I’ll only get cuter and cuter as the set goes on!” He laughed into the mic, and the band kept the set rolling. His stage manner had a likable, cocky air to it and it was infectious, as everybody was, while eyes transfixed on the stage, moving to the rhythm. The vibe was so positive that time seemed to pass instantly. When their set had ended, I was left wanting more, and it was a good indicator that I should probably purchase that LP to add to my collection and catch them when they are back in town.
#DKLPHOTOS 