Featured
Miguel Joins TV On The Radio in Los Angeles
Downtown L.A.’s posh new Ace Hotel has a…ace in the hole, namely their vintage theater attached to its South side. In a year that has seen numerous live venues sprout up in that neighborhood, this one is special dating back to classic Hollywood with awe striking moldings across the walls and ceilings. It is a scene fitting for the atmospheric indie champions TV On The Radio who graced the stage last Saturday for Red Bull Sound Select’s 14th show in their 30 Days In LA series. The night hit an apex with special guest Miguel who joined the headliners during their set.
The lobby was slammed before seating was allowed, leaving folks to socialize over fresh popcorn and wine in a can (yes, wine in a can). Show sponsor, Solé Bikes, famous for their Indie Dance mix series were on hand to raffle off a fixie bike to a lucky attendee. Starting the show was the one opening act of the night, Indie R&B singer Gallant. For the past couple of years the newly minted Angelino has struck a chord with bloggers and listeners alike, riding the wave started by The Weeknd a few years prior. Backed by a full band, clad in all white, Gallant silenced the crowd with an emotionally charged half hour of songs that included his most recent breakout, “Weight In Gold”. Stumbling as if trying to contain his pain and flinging his body off balance upon release, the stage antics punctuated the song’s themes and held attention from beginning to end.
After an hour break TV On The Radio stepped out to roaring applause. Not the biggest band in the world, but by the adulation adorned upon them from beginning to end you would assume they were. This is the type of band people in the know say is their favorite, and by the amount of verbatim sing-alongs you would wonder why you haven’t been paying more attention over the years. Lead guitarist, Kyp Malone, and lead singer, Tunde Adebimpe, lead the way through a 2-hour ride of high impact Noise Rock and meditatively somber tunes that all felt like a wall of sound regardless of the emotion they were evoking. When the band returned for an encore special guest Miguel came out to a delayed response. The crowd, it seems, may not be the type to recognize the Soul singer but the light bulb eventually went off in their collective heads as cheers rang across the theater. After handling backgrounds on a TOTR song they went into his signature track “Adorn” at which point any who were still in the dark realized who they were now lucky enough to say they saw. Last song of the night was an amazing rendition of 70’s German Prog-Rock outfit Can’s song “Vitamin C” with Tunde taking lead and Miguel accenting with his distinct vocal riffs. Red Bull topped themselves with the special guests this time out and hopefully can keep upping the ante as the month goes on.
photo credit: Red Bull Content Pool
except for Kyp & Tunde photo by Dominic Painter
