Indie-pop/rock outfit The Colourist and Los Angeles kids Echosmith put on an amped-up performance for a sold out crowd at 9:30 Club on Feb. 26, attracting fans of all ages.
Southern Californian four-piece band The Colourist opened the show. Though the venue was nowhere near full yet, the group brought its A-game for early concertgoers, opening with “Fix This” and getting the crowd moving.
Maya Tuttle, the vocalist/drummer of the group, delivered the standout performance of the group. The only female member (and one of two leading vocalists) nailed every hit and every note, never failing to keep a steady rhythm that differed from the one she was singing. Her impressive performance helped make up for the band’s lukewarm stage presence. Though the music was on point, The Colourist lacked some of its typical energy until “The Further,” off of their self-titled album.
Throughout the set the opener pleasantly surprised the crowd by sprinkling new songs into their set. Among these was a single due to release next week, “When I’m Away,” complete with a groovy guitar riff reminiscent of The Lighthouse and the Whaler’s “Venice.” To end a stellar set, The Colourist ironically decided to close with “We Won’t Go Home.”
After a brief intermission, the building reached sold-out capacity and the lights blacked out as a bass drum started thumping on stage. Marquee lights reading “Echosmith” lit up with every drum beat and the band pranced on stage, opening with “Come Away With Me.” As the crowd let loose, the headliner worked the stage better than their opening act, with lead vocalist Sydney Sierota charming the audience and engaging with her fellow bandmates and siblings, dancing across the stage with them.
As the night rolled on, Echosmith went into a cover of the Talking Heads’ “This Must Be The Place” and its original song “Talking Dreams,” during which a random and seemingly pointless parasol was brought out and twirled by Sierota. Shortly after, the set was interrupted for a quick public service announcement: all poster sales were going towards the band’s efforts to help construct a school in an impoverished part of the Philippines. To the sound of cheers of approval, it jumped into new acoustic single “Bright,” cutting all instrumentals out at the bridge and gathering around the mic to sing a capella with the audience. With the performance coming to an end, the group closed out the show with hit single “Cool Kids,” ending a night of stellar music.
