BY CHARISSA CHE
Just one song into their set, Lewis Del Mar’s lead singer-shredder Danny Miller took a moment to scan the scene before him. “Damn,” he says, with endearing wide-eyed wonder. “I think this is the biggest crowd we’ve ever played for.”
A nod to the Complex – despite its chaotically inconsistent rigmarole for letting patrons through its gates, its crowds have a welcome habit of cheering on opening acts, even if they’re not familiar enough with them to sing along. The enthusiasm likely bolstered Miller and bandmate Max Harwood’s performance, which, though brief, packed a ton of momentum in the form of slick electric guitar solos. These were spectacles all on their own, as Miller, who otherwise stood tame and stationery at the mic, suddenly threw himself on his knees to shred, to the delight of the teen girls before him.
A listen to their studio recording understandably doesn’t pack as much punch, which is perhaps why their live set conveyed more sharply their “experimental pop’s” wide-ranging nature. The aforementioned Red Hot Chili Peppers-Jason Mraz comparisons seemed less imitative than subversive with “Loud(y),” and surprisingly sensual with “Wave(s).”
And in brief, openers Young the Giant delivered a polished, if not a tad schizophrenic set that attempted to meld the old with the new. Top 40-friendly “Something to Believe in” and “Silvertongue” were the most welcomed performance off Home of the Strange. That aside though, people were keenest to whip out their phones and record their titular hits, “Cough Syrup” and “My Body.” For one, an unexpectedly magical moment was conjured when the millenial crowd was asked to turn on their smartphone lights and wave them to and fro for their beloved track, “I Got.”
For more photos of the show, go here.
