REVIEW: LANY @ House of Blues 10/11

It’s been a big year for a certain alt-pop three-piece from Los Angeles. As their fourth year of being a band is underway, LANY released their debut, self-titled album and has spent 2017 touring in support of their emerging music. LANY—which stands for Los Angeles New York—is made up of three talented young artists by the names of Paul Klein, Jake Goss, and Les Priest.

On a Wednesday fall night in October, the trio took over the House of Blues in Boston for another energetic show on their current headlining run. This stretch of shows, presented by Ones To Watch and dubbed THE LANY TOUR PART 2, took off on Sept. 25 in New Orleans and extends through Nov. 12 with a last show in Canada.

Opening the show was Norwegian pop vocalist Dagny who offered an electrifying, catchy sound to start the night. During her set, the artist reassured the crowd that they were in for a treat with LANY as the crowd’s energy rose.

With their newly released album, LANY had a variety of songs to pool into a thoughtfully formulated set list. Screeches from the crowd filled the room immediately as the lights went down before LANY’s set. The sounds from the audience slowly elevated until Klein, the lead vocalist, took the stage and the band went right into the first track off of LANY. Production for this tour was kept simple, yet carried a big presence as there were three conjoined screens on stage that changed in relation to the aura surrounding each track played.

One can imagine the excitement the trio felt to be playing a heap of fresh, new material that they are assuredly very proud of. Accordingly, the set list consisted primarily of songs from the new album with a few past singles integrated in. About halfway through the set, you could find Klein jumping around the stage—a sure sign that there was plenty in store for the second half.

Soon after this energy rush, it was time for the band to play “13”—a deeply inquisitive, emotional ballad from LANY. At this point, Klein’s long hair was tied back; he had also grabbed a guitar and positioned himself to face the left side of the stage. Behind him, the screens were illuminated in a neon baby blue color to emphasize the dark silhouette of Klein from the side. The room had calmed and all focus was on Klein as the singer gave a captivating performance of the familiar tune, as it had been released prior to the album as a single.

A constant throughout the night was the visible fan support within the crowd. For a band that only began their journey releasing music in 2014, there was an overwhelming feeling of loyalty in the way fans sang every word back to the band, if not louder than the band. Anyone could look around during “The Breakup”—a single that LANY released before the album came out in June—and see every single person singing and chanting the lyrics.

Among the remainder of the set, there was a retro atmosphere thrown into the mix during songs like “Pink Skies.” Another emotional performance that involved Klein standing on the speakers, perceivably lost in the song, took shape in “Hericane”—another impressive ballad from LANY.

The night culminated with a three-song encore including the synth-fueled hit, “Super Far,” during which all one could hear was the crowd screaming, “If this is love, I don’t want it,” louder than the band. Ending the night with their most well-known hit, LANY jumped right into “ILYSB” leading an enthusiastic, dancing crowd.

The LANY trio made this show entirely their own from start to finish, taking the audience away to a removed, musical atmosphere that music is intended to create. It’s clear that LANY’s fan base is going to continue to evolve exponentially from here; it’s only upwards for this promising group.

-Daniella Weiss