Last night, Newport venue Southgate House hosted Neon Indian, one third of the chillwave holy trinity. Their debut album Psychic Chasms has been in constant rotation since its release, and after missing their set at Bonnaroo this year (damn RV detours!), I relished the chance to see Alan Palomo and company at such an intimate venue.
Charlie and I proceeded to treat the night like any normal Sunday: play Captain Dickhead (thanks Rachel Gordon), round up some lovely ladies, and make Tito drive us, dancing excessively all the while. Shows at Southgate are always memorable thanks to it's small size, and this show was particularly great due to a energized crowd that had the space and energy to erupt into a dance party for the entire set. (Another great aspect of Southgate shows: inevitably running into band members while taking a piss. At least 5 times last night.)
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| The place is old school |
The recorded sounds of chillwave are fuzzy and faded, sounding as if they were dug up from an 80's time capsule and played underwater. In a live setting, however, the songs took on a new life, as each layer resounded through the old ballroom. Starting off strong with "Terminally Chill" (Charlie and I seemed to be the only ones providing terribly off-key backup vocals) the mostly college-age crowd grooved along to a set consisting of most of Psychic Chasms material.
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| so chill |
They also played their newest track, "Sleep Paralysist", which was commissioned by Mountain Dew's Green Label Sound project. (So far I think Mountain Dew > Converse in the whole "companies-as-record-labels" scenario, since "Post Acid" and "Sleep Paralysist" are much better tracks than "All Summer Long". Bleh.)
Momentum built perfectly throughout the evening, with Palomo's dreamy vocals and the rest of the band's impeccable chemistry and stage presence entertaining throughout. One of the coolest parts of their live setup was the LED guitar used by lead guitarist Ronald Gierhart. It was the perfect complement to their sound and a unique visual effect that further captivated the mesmerized audience. "Deadbeat Summer" and "Ephemeral Artery" brought it home, and everyone left soaked in fresh chillwaves, reveling in unforgettable good vibes and a new set of musical memories. This is not a band to be missed.
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| Alan Palomo, chillin' hard |
Next up : MUSE! Updates coming tomorrow.
