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Late last year I had the chance to see The 1975 at The Troubadour in West Hollywood. I was able to sit 20 feet from the band as they delivered a memorable set with confidence, swagger, and an arsenal of damn good songs. They had a couple EP’s out at that point, but no album, no radio exposure, no cult following. I was amongst record label execs and several dozen die-hards already in the loop. Needless to say, the show was amazing, and I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see the band explode globally over the last year.
Thursday night at the same venue was a similar experience. While The 1975 was headlining that night last year, Scottish band Prides was the opener for this show. Regrettably, I didn’t get to stay to see Night Terrors of 1927 or the headliner Magic Man. I enjoy both bands and will jump at the chance to see them again next time. NT is driven by former The Honorary Title front-man Jarrod Gorbel and everything they’re releasing has been great. Gorbel’s unique voice is a huge selling point and I highly recommend checking them out. Magic Man, unbeknownst to me, already has a huge following. I “discovered” them a few weeks ago and they are synth-pop at its best. Their new album Before The Waves just came out and it’s fantastic. It’s an album that should not be overlooked in 2014.
Prides was first up and played an energetic, entertaining set. They mixed in some unreleased songs along with those already buzzing online: “The Seeds You Sow,” “Messiah,” “Cold Blooded,” & “Out Of The Blue.” They even managed to cover Cyndi Lauper’s classic “Time After Time” and give it a fresh spin. The band played with energy, confidence, and skill…absolutely huge synth-rock/pop hooks, pounding drums, and plenty of passion behind their performance. As for those new songs that haven’t been released yet: all I’ll say is get ready for one powerful full-length album whenever we get to hear it.
The feeling I got after the show at The Troubadour last year was “wow…I could watch this band play all night.” Prides delivered a similar feeling. Any length of time for them on stage is too short. I could watch them play songs for hours – it doesn’t even matter what songs they are playing. Their set was the epitome of entertainment on stage. Don’t be surprised to see this band everywhere soon.
Not a lot more needs to be said. Prides’ catalog of songs is excellent and memorable, their performance is passionate and inspired, and they are a band that out-does the vast majority of their contemporaries. Recently I once again saw The 1975, this time at a much, much larger venue, amongst a throng of teenage girls, from way up in the balcony. It was still great, but very different. They had become bona fide rock stars. I left that show grateful that I saw them at The Troub before they blew up. I left West Hollywood with a very similar feeling on Thursday. Prides will soon be headlining venues across the globe, with their own army of fans. I’ll happily perch my old self in a balcony seat to see them, but I’ll always be grateful of that time I saw them at The Troubadour as the relatively unknown opener. Whatever you were dancing to before, get ready to set that aside and pump your fist with Prides.
Remaining US Tour Dates:
July 15 – Seattle – Croc
July 17 – San Francisco – Richshaw Stop
Set List:
The Seeds You Sow
Higher Love
Let It Go
Running Wild
I Should Know You Better
Out Of The Blue
Time After Time
Messiah
Check out one of my personal favorites “Out Of The Blue” below and head to their SoundCloud to hear more!
