REVIEW: Glorious Sons, Liily, JJ Wilde @ The Sinclair 2/12

By Alyssa Lai

The Sinclair is a venue most well-known for the indie musicians and not so much up and coming rock bands with songs topping the US Billboard charts. However, the Glorious Sons put on a show that did not disappoint, especially paired with the intense energy of the opening acts and the crowd.

The entire show was bundled up with excitement and anticipation in both performer and audience alike. The Glorious Sons performed with two opening acts, Liily, a new LA band on their very first tour, and JJ Wilde, an aspiring singer with her very first single just released on Spotify. Both artists delivered a performance that resonated with the audience, despite the small crowd. JJ Wilde’s performance of her new single Wired displayed her passion for her music and was an excellent way to close out her act and set the stage for Liily. This show was their first tour and their first performance outside of California. Now knowing this only added to the excitement radiating from the band as they performed songs from their first album, Toro. The presence of the five 19-year olds on their very first tour brought out a sense of “crazy maniac intensity” as well as a new sense of almost child-like wonder and excitement that set the tone for the Glorious Sons’ act.

The performance that the Glorious Sons gave on February 12 was the first of their 2019 SOS Tour, and it proved to a be a fantastic start. They opened their act with a performance of their hit song “Sawed-Off Shotgun” that brought out a new and heavier side to the song’s usual smooth tone. The audience also demonstrated their enthusiasm of the show with lively dancing and singing along to the lyrics. As they continues to play the songs from their setlist, including older songs from their debut album The Union such as “Mama” and “Heavy” as well as their newer and more popular songs like “Josie” and “So Much Love to Give”, the audience became more and more enthralled by the music and the energy from the performing band. Even with their ballads of “White Noise” and “My Poor Heart”, the Glorious Sons did not fail to emit their heavier and rougher tones to their songs. They ended the first half of their performance with “Everything is Alright”, as expected, with the lead singer bringing members of the audience onto the stage to sing along with them. Although I myself was not lucky enough to be hauled up onto the stage, it was heartwarming and incredible to see the sense of community and passion that the band had with and for their fans. They exited the stage after the performance of the song, only to be called back out for an encore with the song “Kill the Lights”. Although it is known to be one of their slower songs, the Glorious Sons were able to bring one last surge of excitement and vitality to the stage before ending their show.

All in all, the entire show exceeded expectations. The two acts that preceded the Glorious Sons were full of life and vibrancy that delivered performances that were not overshadowed by the main act. However, that is not to say that the Glorious Sons did not have a memorable show; in fact, it was quite the opposite.