Cults, Crystal Antlers, Superhumanoids: Concert Review and Photos

Last Sunday may have been the end to a painfully hot weekend but things were burning up again at 6th Street Warehouse downtown. Not only were local LA band, Superhumanoids, starting the night off right but beloved Long Beach-based band, Crystal Antlers also came out to support NYC-based Cults for their first LA show ever. The place which consisted of a skating ramp serving as a stage was not out of the ordinary for warehouse shows but what we had to endure was the heat. However, it turned to be a great way to wrap our weekend up even if we were all feeling uncomfortably sticky in the end.

We’ve seen Superhumanoids tear the place down before at WAVED OUT earlier in the summer (they were also one of our Favs) but the weather wasn’t even a challenge for them this night. Their kaleidoscopic pop anthems filled the warehouse with just enough danceable breeze for us to start enjoying the evening. Sarah’s vocals once again floated upon those keyboard riffs and guitar chugs so effortlessly we were reminded of our urgency for them to release an EP. Ironically, the did release a collection of six songs titled “Urgency” and although it’s fantastic listen from beginning to end, seeing them live was much more appealing to the senses at the moment. Cameron’s vocals which intertwine with Sarah’s make for sweet pop melodies but aren’t so saccharine-sweet they leave you with a ridiculous sugar high. Superhumanoids’ sound in both their recordings and live performances have perfect balance of sweets and indie rock that is comparable to a church girl who turns out to really be a rebel.

Crystal Antlers also brought the house down with their massive ensemble. Again like Superhumanoids, there are some boy-girl harmonies but it’s mostly bassist Jonny Bell’s aggressive vocals that stand out and make our arm hairs tingle. There’s a lot going on whenever you see Crystal Antlers live in regards to our eyes and our ears. Sometimes bands who attempt to do this for an audience just end up with a big jumbled mess but Jonny Bell and company always provide a solid set whether the melody’s spotlight is on the organ or the guitar. Extra percussion never hurts either. It almost never hurts. In fact, it feels good when all the extra beats are in the right place among the psychedelic rock.

Finally, Cults came on stage.  We assumed it was just going to be the duo and couple, Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin, but  it was apparent that their project blossomed into a full band. Taken aback but impressed that they pulled a band together so quickly considering the fact that they never meant to market themselves as a band, we were ready to see what the hype was about. Definitely sounding like an NYC band rather than a SoCal band (they are originally from San Diego but now based in Brooklyn because of film school), their combination of of brooding indie rock and Ronettes-pop like melodies came off as darling. Perhaps not all Crystal Antlers fans would have been over-zealous with these light light 60s pop and bass lines, but it’s the simple and effective layering of those child-like (yet likable) vocals on top of pop and rock that will do the job for the catchy label. Cults know this or at least we think they do. Announcing that the next song was going to be a new one each time (because new songs are all they have), they hit the spot for light-hearted melodies on top of darker undertones in both lyrics, guitar and bass arrangements.

Check out some of our photos from the night!

Photography by Carl Pocket