Venue: Capitol Theatre
Date: 29th March 2018
Promoter: Secret Sounds Asia, and Live Nation Singapore
Review by: Anna F.
Ain’t never felt this way – maybe because you only do when you see LANY in all their glory in a live setting. Barely a year since the Los Angeles trio, consisting of drummer Jake Goss, guitarist Les Priest, and frontman Paul Klein, step foot on our shores, they’re back to play a yet again, completely sold out show.
Romance, nostalgia, and just good ol’ straightforward honesty. That’s basically how anyone would describe the indie pop band, looking to grace Coachella with their presence soon. But they’re so much more than that. Just the way Klein was jumping around on stage, you could tell that he was truly free up there – where he belongs. That carefree aura that he was exuding left us all in a trance-like state, absolutely mesmerised and charmed to no end, wishing, just for a moment, to be able to embody that kind of positive energy in our daily lives.
They performed all their hits like “Super Far”, “4EVER!”, “Good Girls” and “ILYSB”, the latter of which closing out the show with a fairytale ending. Including a one-minute cover of Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times”, every performance was well planned, with the aesthetics crafted down to a T. The charming frontman executed his vocals so passionately that the standout performance of the emotionally wrought “Tampa” seemed to reopen a whole bunch of old wounds. With steely grace, the three-piece reveled in unabashed synth-washed numbers, going through a setlist that in all honestly, could be the soundtrack to anyone’s life.
As if the audience needed any more reason to fall more in love with Paul, who was decked out in true thrift store fashion, and busted out some cheesy 80s dance moves, but the mysterious and slightly reserved singer made everyone’s heart hurt so good by displaying his musicianship on both the guitar and keyboards, at times dueling with Les on certain soaring licks.
The opulent yet cozy venue only added an extra element of edge and history, and I’ve never actually been wowed by the sound quality at a venue before this. Even when everyone was singing along, it sounded like it was coming out of the speakers, recorded professionally in a studio on Santa Monica Boulevard. And that made it all the more special.
Klein also took a moment to acknowledge the fans, welcoming those who were seeing them for the first time with that blindingly warm smile of his. We’ll forever be hella obsessed with your face (and everything else), Paul. And though he mentioned that he was having a bad cold, he sure as hell didn’t sound like it. “We will never, ever, cancel,” he emphasised, shaking his head.
From Les and Jake shining in the shadows, to Paul dancing in the light of a canyon sun, to the whole atmosphere that night, which was bolstered by minimalist, eye-catching visuals; LANY put on a show that none of us would forget any time soon.
You are my favourite everything,
Been telling you that since 2015.