Superstar KSPC volunteer Samantha went to see college radio faves Porches and Alex G at their March 29th performance at The Echoplex! Here is her extensive review of the show for any of us who might have missed it.Â
It’s a Tuesday school night, but the show at the Echoplex is too good to pass up. Alex G and Porches tour together, selling out their show which was originally supposed to be at the Echoplex’s smaller sibling venue, the Echo.
Your Friend, a moniker for Kansas native, Taryn Miller, opened up for Alex G and Porches early in the night. With the end of Your Friend’s set and the arrival of Porches, the floor around the stage became full as many people were excited to see what they had come for. While Porches brought the crowds, there was a surprising lack of dancing in the crowd.
Aaron Maine, with his bleached blonde hair and baseball cap, brought the energy and added entertainment to the set with his commentary between songs. In an attempt to lighten the crowd or just have fun himself, he began reciting words and speaking his thoughts aloud. Although much of it didn’t make sense and sounded more like enigmatic poetry, it matched the psychedelic theme of the band’s music, dancing, and visual effects.
Most of Porches’ set consisted of the very danceable songs of their latest album, Pool. Crowd favorites from the album included Underwater, Pool, Mood, and Be Apart. In addition, when Porches played Headsgiving from their Slow Dance in the Cosmos album, the aura of the venue changed with the different mood of the song. While taking a break from watching Porches I wandered over to talk to Alex G, who was helping out at the merch table. While Alex G was spacey and interesting to interact with, Porches’ Headsgiving pulled me back into the crowd for some dancing and listening to the song’s emotional lyrics.
Next, Alex G takes the stage playing favorites from Beach Music (although my personal favorite, In Love, was not played) like Kicker and Bug. While most of Beach Music was played, Mary and Change from the album Trick seemed to be old favorites of the crowd with lots of singing along and dancing to these songs. Interestingly, Alex G made the choice to play Intro from Beach Music, which was an entertaining and chaotic instrumental to watch live. With his rendition of Intro he also incorporated some yells into songs, which changed the calm, lo-fi pop mood.
Alex G officially ends their regular set with a beautiful and melodious rendition of Brite Boy, with the help of female member of Porches, Maya Laner. There is a cute end to the show with some group dancing and a bow from the band.
After most of the band has left the stage, a few “one more songs†from the crowd bring back Alex G and his guitarist back to the stage in which they intimately perform one last song that Alex G ends with a surprising yell of the very last lyric. The combined antics of Alex G and Porches and the live renditions of their latest albums’ songs made the sold out show worth sacrificing valuable homework time on a Tuesday night.