Local dance rock favorites James Supercave slid into the Bootleg Theater on Thursday night for an energetic hometown show.
The band dropped a new EP back in January called Alarm Will Sound — a hazy and psychedelic tinge to their LCD Soundsystem vibe. Singer-guitarist Joaquin Pastor’s unique vocals float effortlessly atop groovy bass lines that will have you at the very least bobbing your head. Pastor’s vocals border on U2’s Bono during their Pop era, when they tried their hand at a more electronic vibe.
A standout track from the new EP is “Something to Lose”, which the band played a couple songs into their set. It’s got crossover appeal, I could see it being very popular on a dancefloor during a DJ set. The build to the chorus, with Pastor singing “All my life I was waiting for you / Now I’ve got something to lose” before it kicks into higher gear had the crowd in the palm of their hands. The synths of Patrick Logothetti really stand out on that track, bridging the last two choruses.
“Burn / No Pressure”, from 2016 full-length effort Better Strange was another favorite of the crowd. For a 10:45 PM headline set on a Thursday, the crowd had a lot of energy to match the energy from the guys on stage. The band also gave a killer rendition of Gorillaz tune “Rhinestone Eyes” towards the end of the set, and it was a great fit amongst the rest of their setlist. Don’t miss James Supercave next time they come around.
I also caught Venice brother-sister duo Bay Ledges, which features Zach and Georgia Hurd at the forefront. Their shimmer pop sound sounded a bit more raw on stage than on record, and it complemented James Supercave nicely.
Words by Mark Ortega
Photos by Tim Aarons
