REVIEW: LA LUZ @ BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL 10/10
Photo Credit: Wyndham Garret
Review by Sophia Tiereny
Last Thursday night at Brighton Music Hall, La Luz felt like an exhale or a reunion with old friends. The bandmates were utterly in sync with a palpable ease and self-confidence. The band was formed in Seattle back in 2012 by former members Marian Li Pino, Alice Sandahl, Abbey Blackwell, and current forewoman Shana Cleveland, who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter of La Luz. I couldn’t have guessed that the current members hadn’t been jamming together for over a decade. The chemistry was electric and joyful; everything felt right. The frenetic, psychedelic energy combined with strong individual musicianship and bold femininity lit up the stage.
Mia Joy headlined for La Luz, an indie band that was pleasant but lacked the cohesion and clear vision of the band to follow. Playing for nearly an hour, the soft and breathy performance did a solid job of setting the stage, with a growing crowd packing the venue toward the end of their set. Mia Joy’s music was pleasantly dark and slow, easing into the dark undertones of the music to come.
La Luz’s most recent release, “News of the Universe,” was born from a similar darkness. It reflects the struggle of Cleveland’s cancer diagnosis with her just 2-year-old son in tow. It is a portrait of our changing world in ways both big and small. La Luz takes us to a dark and shimmery outer space, a place that feels unreal but familiar and raw.
The fact that the band is all women has a monumental impact as well. Holding the complexity of femininity, in all of its darkness and lightness and joy, La Luz absolutely glows. I hadn’t heard of the band before seeing their show, but in the days leading up to it, their music became a staple in my Spotify. It is music that stands firmly on its own but is also the perfect soundtrack for your day-to-day shuffling around. The music is dark, psychedelic, surf-rock, a dichotomy in itself. Maryam Qudus, who plays keys for the band, also produced their most recent album. While it is clear and well-mixed, no recordings could do the band justice.
La Luz entered the stage behind a large silver, home-made sun cutout. In a conga line behind the smiling sun, making it dance back and forth, the joyful group took their spots behind faux-ivy-wrapped mics. Drummer Audrey Johnson took to her kit in front of a psychedelic screen, with changing, undulating graphics for every song. It was similar in effect to the final tour of Porno for Pyros I attended last winter. The beautiful lighting design (mainly cool tones with moments of dark red) combined with the soft, fluctuating graphics created its own world on stage. The band members tossed blow-up aliens into the pit to crowd surf, fostering laughter and community among the concertgoers gathered in Brighton Music Hall.
The outfits and cohesion of the members demonstrate the band’s acute knowledge of space and performance. Drummer Audrey Johnson wore a red lace long-sleeve with gorgeous hair flowing across half her face. Her tenacity, skill, and control were undeniable. Keyboardist Maryam Qudus looked like a surfer Barbie doll with hot pink go-go boots and a matching miniskirt. Her unique, psychedelic solos took the band to otherworldly heights. Cleveland wore a gorgeous white dress with space buns to match. Long-sleeved, high-necked, but also short enough to showcase the singer’s long legs. The theme of the night: all things in one, surprising but calm.
Bass player Lena Simon greatly stood out as well. She wore a modest, dark floral dress with opaque black tights and had a special ease about her. She radiated joy and positivity, once pausing between songs to remark on her special love of buckets and their undervalued utility (to which she encountered mass support). She was a clear duo with Cleveland, apart from the rest. Simon’s angelic, high-part harmonies and effortless bass performance were perfect.
In further service of their showmanship, the band members frequently moved and danced in unison. Cleveland and Simon spun with their respective instruments with increasing frequency as the night progressed. Cleveland clicked her heels and danced around the stage with poignant guitar solos and a soft spot for her whammy bar. Each instrument had its own moment to shine. My personal favorite songs of the night were both on “New of the Universe:” “Poppies” and “I’ll Go With You,” with Clevland stating the latter to be her favorite off the album as well. I couldn’t help but pick up a copy of the CD to take home and remember the night. La Luz will be playing on repeat on all my future road trips and rainy-day walks.