Local Natives: Concert Review

Last night was the second night of Local Natives‘ residency at the beloved Spaceland and the corner of Effie and Silverlake Blvd looked as busy as Hollywood.

It was another packed venue for the band this night since the place was sold out. That’s saying a lot when Monday night residencies at Spaceland are free. After I looked for what seemed like an eternity and actually found a parking spot, I managed to get into line before the line went beyond seeing distance from the bouncer’s chair. Even I had to wait in line for about ten minutes before the bouncer let me in.

The vibe was already great when I walked into a crowd since local favorites Rademacher and Red Cortez had served as openers. However, it didn’t take long after I got a drink that I realized I had to push my way through the crowd if I wanted a decent view. After making a name for themselves (a better and second name) at numerous festivals around the nation as well as all the indie spots in LA, people knew they were in for a good show.

I expected nothing less than fantastic. This happened to be first time I had come to Spaceland without them being a supporting act – and this night was rightfully so because their sound always justifies headlining credibility.

After all five band members took their spot on stage, people cheered as they played the first measure to “World News.” With sweet harmonies filling the air on top of charming riffs, they had already pulled the audience in. However, it was when Kelcey (keys/percussion/vox) and Matt (drums) really went at it on percussion that the crowd really got crazy. Of course, Ryan (guitar/vox) and Taylor (guitar/vox) only built up that energy as they ferociously got into their grooves with those chords while Andy kept it all in tact with those intricate bass lines.

People around me were mouthing words and a crowd to the right basically started a dance party that continued for the rest of the set. The best part about Local Natives’ sound is that not only is it capable of being soothingly legato, but the crescendos of their vocals and instrumentals build up to a force that is enticing and ultimately hypnotizing. The crowd to the right was drunk on their sound and it was fun to feel their energy exude into the rest of the audience that was packed all the way back to the DJ and sound system (where Buzz Bands‘ Kevin Bronson was just deejaying in between sets).

There were few new songs but when they played “Airplanes,” loyal fans began to boo just as it is in the beginning of the recording. Booing in this sense meant that they were avid listeners of the tune and could anticipate the song’s direction. Of course, there wasn’t a sad soul in the room when they also played their cover of Talking Heads’ “Warning Sign” (which is almost better than the original – I swear) and when the all five guys spun into a hurricane of passion during “Sun Hands.”

When the set sadly ended, Local Native kindly invited every one back to next Monday’s show (and the next Monday, and the next…) for they were to reveal more new songs. With the ability to put on incredibly heightening shows like last night’s, I have hunch that people plan on attending again.