LEISURE August 8th, 2024, Los Angeles
With Strawbry
Thanks to flying from one coast to the other and going on being awake for 20 plus hours, I was worried about how I was going to make it through this show. Fear not because as soon as this cool AF band took the stage, all vestiges of fatigue miraculously vanished.
LEISURE oozes cool. They know it, I know it and so did the beautifully, chilled, LA crowd. Thanks to the intimate, old school, confines of the Fonda Theatre in West Hollwood, the vibe was established from the jump. Of course, copious amounts of weed wafting through the air helped, but when the venue only holds 1100 or so, it can’t help but set the tone for what transpired.
Will LEISURE ever be this massive stadium type band that is going to pull in Taylor Swift like audiences? Let’s hope not. We’d then lose that intimate connection with songs that don’t try too hard to confuse you with deep ass lyrics. These songs are best listened when you don’t want to think, you just want to be. Whether it’s in the moment, in your head, or in your mind’s eye, the deal is, this is the band that you want at the coolest muthafuckin party you could ever attend or host.
In a previous post I had mentioned that when everyone in the crowd knows the songs by heart and are basically singing them back to the band-THAT’S when you know. And when you know-you know. AND that’s LEISURE.
If you’re not familiar with LEISURE, go look up the songs, start with the song “Slipping Away”, which oh by the way, the crowd sung the shit out of. Watching everyone just absolutely caught up in the moment in singing this absolutely stole the night. If you need more Reccos, try “Lonely Nights”, “Got it Bad”, and “Take you Higher.”
After listening to those cuts, you’ll get the gist of the vibe. The challenge then? Trying to see them in concert. As they’re from New Zealand, the opportunities are few and far between. But don’t let a few thousand miles stop you. Carpe diem people.
Ocean Alley June 15th, 2024, Tampa
With The Grogans
The first word that comes to mind when thinking about an Ocean Alley concert is electric. Perhaps it was the venue, The Ritz Ybor, that had something to do with it? With a capacity of 1300, it’s the perfect space for a band to absolutely set it on fire and take no prisoners; and that’s exactly what Ocean Alley did.
Whenever attending a show it’s a given that you should assess the crowd. You know, take the temperature of the room. Is it a drunk fest? Are they there just to be there? Or are they there because they need to see this band. Without hesitation, everyone who was at this show, was meant to be at this show. In fact, if you were to go to Ocean Alley’s Instagram page, you’ll see what we mean. Everyone who is there, or was there, is pretty effing glad that they are and were,
Here’s a tip that a show/concert is going to be a banger and was. a) the energy before the show is palpable b) everyone knows the words to every song from the jump and c) the energy expressed as people are leaving the show is even greater than it was at the beginning. At any Ocean Alley show that would be, check, check and check.
The band is made up of Baden Donegal (vocals, guitar), Angus Goodwin (lead guitar), Lach Galbraith (keyboard, vocals), Mitch Galbraith (guitar), Nic Blom (bass) and Tom O’Brien (drums). If you’re unfamiliar with their music, Baden’s vocals will be the first thing that jumps out at you. next would-be Angus’s guitar. Both are quite discernible, with Baden’s vocals striking a sound that you cannot quite put a finger on. he doesn’t have a ‘sounds like” peer id what we’re saying.
If you’re looking for that one disc/album to get you started on your Ocean Alley experience, start with Lost Tropics, which came out in 2016. It has the tracks, Lemonworld, Pretty Little Devil, Feel, Holiday, Millionaires and Partner in Crime. So basically, we’re saying the whole album is good. Start there. Once you’re done, we can only assume that you’ll be like the rest of us. Converts to the Ocean Alley experience.
Reggae Rise Up 2023
With Iration, Fortunate Youth, Artikal Sound System and Cydeways
Saint Petersburg, Florida, in November. Reggae, outside with a spotless sky and 80 degrees. Who’s in? We are. That said, we like to keep these reviews sweet and simple when we can but if we’re to order this list from wow to meh, we’re going to start with Artikal Sound System as the Wow and Fortunate Youth as the Meh. Iration was solid and Cydeways is “too small a sample size to tell.”
Let’s start with A.S.S., or more specifically, Logan Rex. She is the quintessential front-man, or in this case front-woman. In other words, her energy, her vibe, just absolutely elevates this band’s game. The band is tight and can play anything but their bread and butter needs to be, playing what fits Logan. This is not take anything away from their sound but whew, if you get a chance to see them live, you’ll understand what we mean. they primarily play a lot of Florida gigs but check their tour schedule and if they’re near you-run and get tix.
We’ll be honest, Cydeways opened the show but we felt like we needed to see and hear more of them. Why? Because they sounded great. Go listen to the song, “Shadows” and tell us we’re wrong. They’re categorized as an “alternative” band but we’re gonna place them in the reggae genre.
Next up was Artikal Sound System and frankly, we felt that they needed to be deeper in the lineup as they were only slotted for a 45-minute set, and TBH that wasn’t enough. Following A.S.S. was Fortunate Youth.
As night fell on the show and the weed cloud settled atop the crowd, Fortunate Youth took the stage. The crowd was pretty thick directly in front of the stage and that led to an anticipatory vibe that never happened. Whether it was the near-hoarse, raspy voice of the lead singer or just the disjointed sound, we came away from their set as if the 6-7 musicians were just meeting for the first time. Something was off. Maybe it was the sound? Maybe it was the weed? All we knew was that at some point, being upfront or stage left just was not delivering the experience we were hoping for. All bands have an off night and this felt like one of them.
Last but not least was the headliner Iration. As expected, the crowd got that blend of reggae, rock, and pop elements characterized by laid-back rhythms, catchy melodies, and a beachy vibe. They were solid, tight, and entertaining. They got the crowd into it often and early. if you’ve not heard of them, check out the songs, “Time Bomb”, or “Summer Nights”, they have a total beach vibe which was perfect for St. Pete. Need more convincing? “Falling” is just and was, the perfect hand/arm swaying jam that can pull even the most reluctant fan of reggae.
All in all, the venue was a perfect blend of location, weather, and vibe. Given the size of the crowd. Reggae is on the Rise Up. 🙂
