Los Angeles indie band Local Natives have had a fantastic two years filled with rave reviews for their debut record “Gorilla Manor.”
They paid a visit to the 9:30 club last Thursday amidst the home stretch of their fall tour.
Their twin opening bands were both strong; The Union Line, hailing from Southern California, played a solid, if slightly uncharismatic, set of indie rock with a tropical spin, and New Zealanders, The Ruby Suns charmed the crowd with their ebullient dance-pop.
Local Natives came on stage to deafening cheers from the crowd, but they took a few songs to warm up and unfortunately Gorilla Manor standouts “Camera Talk” and “World News” were the casualties. The normally-crisp percussion from the band’s twin drum sets felt rushed, and the three-part harmonies that served as the keystone of Manor got lost among the din. The Natives seemed to struggle with volume throughout the beginning of the set, but once the band hit their stride and found a balance between the percussion and vocals, they were masterful.
The sleepier tracks on Gorilla Manor — “Sticky Thread,” “Cards and Quarters” — worked more effectively live, though the strings that played an important part in Manor’s sublime instrumentation were absent.
Guitarist Taylor Rice and keyboardist Kelcey Ayer traded lead vocals throughout the set, and though Rice was a deft vocalist — with, as it should be noted, the most impressive mustache of the heavily facial-haired group — the songs helmed by Ayer shone as the highlights of the night. His vocals on the slowed-down, soaring version of “Cubism Dream” were chillingly perfect.
As the Natives neared the end of the set, the songs reached a sublime level. Ryan Hahn’s mandolin provided a whimsical feel to “Airplanes,” and Ayer let loose with goosebumps-inducing riffing over the song’s ending. They closed their regular set with an electrifying rendition of “Who Knows Who Cares,” further enhanced by the entire crowd roaring the words. The Natives came back on to play raucous crowd favorite “Sun Hands,” and amidst the cacophony of crashing drums and ecstatic audience members launching themselves into dance, there was a feeling that every live show yearns to achieve: undiluted joy.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
