Ty Segall and all of his lo-fi glory graced the Spaceland on June 25th, and I was lucky enough to be in attendance. While I missed Wounded Lion, one of 3 openers of the night, I was able to interview Ty Segall, along with DJ Flesh Sweat, before the show started. Since you never know if the next big thing in the indie world will be, well, a jerk, I had my share of worries, but I can safely say that Segall is super nice. (You can check out the interview here).
We headed inside after the interview to check out KSPC faves, the Moonhearts (the band previously known as Charlie and the Moonhearts). Of course they didn’t disappoint. They played a great set featuring all of their greatest hits, including “Drop in Drop Out,” a song that has been on the KSPC airwaves more times than I can count. The crowd, excluding a few people in the front, was pretty lame, standing with their arms folded in typical Spaceland, I’m too old for my own good, fashion. Regardless, the Moonhearts continued to rock out, as Mikal Cronin sprawled on the floor.
Up next – Sonny and the Sunsets. Now, I don’t want to seem mean, because they weren’t bad, but they weren’t very good either. So needless to say, I left for a majority of their set.
Finally the moment had come for Ty Segall to perform. Anticipation was in the air, as the band set up their equipment, left the stage, came back on stage, left the stage, and repeated this pattern several times. Despite taking the same amount of time to sound check as U2, Segall performed a great set, with a mix of songs from his new album Melted, and oldies from his self titled debut. The crowd danced around to his pop jams, pushed and waved their arms for his rocking tunes, and Segall continued to deliver. At one point, Segall called Mikal Cronin on the stage, and the two performed their song “I Wear Black,” and the crowd went crazy as Cronin and Segall rocked out during their duet. Towards the end of the set, Segall performed numerous somersaults and handstands, as a couple audience members jumped on and off stage. Segall even joined the crowd as he continued to play, and the energy level of the venue grew. For his encore, Segall broke out into “Oh Mary,” a track off his self-titled album, and a great way to end the set.
Ty Segall is a breath of fresh air in the sea of lo-fi, 60s garage rock inspired clones out there. His music is fun without being boring, engaging without being overly pretentious. So be sure to check him out next time he plays in LA.
-Clio