After releasing one of the best albums of 2021, Durand Jones & The Indications had to bring their tour to the Los Angeles area where they are extremely popular. On Tuesday, they performed on the first of two packed nights at the Hollywood Palladium, igniting the crowd with a mix of soul, blues, and even some disco.
It was five years ago nearly to the day Durand Jones & The Indications made their LA debut at Mrs. Fish. It’s been a welcoming home away from home for the band, as a large Latino fanbase has developed around their oldies sound. It’s something LAist managed to capture extremely well a few years ago. I looked around and it was quite a diverse crowd both in age and in ethnicity, as the nostalgia that this band brings to mind with their tunes manages to be quite uniting.
The band made these shows even more special by including a horns section and backup singers to go with their usual five-piece arrangement.
They played most of the songs off their latest record, Private Space, as well as a similar amount of songs from their breakthrough record American Love Call. Their trajectory has been a nice climb, buoyed by energetic and soulful performances from this incredible band. Durand Jones and Aaron Frazer have incredible singing styles, with Jones’ booming voice a nice contrast to the falsetto capabilities of Frazer.
Standout songs of the evening included “Love Will Work It Out” with its Bobby Caldwell “What You Wouldn’t Do For Love” vibe; “Morning In America” for its prescience; and the set-closing one-two punch of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and their own disco funky tune “Witchoo”, which had everyone dancing away their last bits of energy.
Don’t miss this band when they roll through your town! They are A-plus-plus!
Photos by Tim Aarons
