On Sunday, May 24th, Glass Animals, along with Gilligan Moss, left the crowd cheering at their epic sold-out concert at the Neptune Theatre.
The opener was the electronic house producer Gilligan Moss along with his recently added fellow partner. He is relatively new to the music scene and got his start in 2013. He came on stage, not expecting people to know who they were or any of their music. But with that said, they put on a hell of a good show. Their set was simple; no lights, no special effects; it was all focused on the music. They performed some really sick songs, including one that they had just recently released.
I have to tell you that I had been waiting to see Glass Animals for so long and that wait paid off, my friends. Glass Animals killed it. Hailing from Oxford, this four-piece band creates a transcending sound that mixes psychedelic pop, electronica, and R&B. Their stage set-up matched their psychedelic look and feel, with their beautiful album cover as the background and light fixtures shaped like martini glasses lining each side of the stage. Once they walked in, with Dave and Edmund flaunting socks on the stage, the crowd roared. They played a bunch of songs from their debut full-length album, Zaba, as well as crowd favorites, including “Black Mambo,” “Hazey,” and the infamous “Gooey.” Dan stole the stage with his shoeless dancing that was so awkward that it was actually kind of cool.
I was very impressed at how fun and dance-y their set was, especially because I initially thought it would be pretty laid back since their album heavily relies on slower, synthetic beats. However, although they impressively sounded almost exactly like their recordings, a lot of the intricate guitar riffs, drum syncopations, and other melodies were highlighted, somehow making the music much more upbeat and dance-y than expected. There were many moments when Dave would stop in between the songs, smile, and mouth “thank you, thank you” to the adoring audience. I could tell that he was so thankful for everyone who was there. Imagine a full house cheering and clapping—and then double that. That’s what it felt like that night.
After they were cheered back onto the stage, one of their last songs was a majestic cover of Kanye’s (aka Yeezus almighty’s) “Love Lockdown.” Dan parted the audience, made his way the center of the Neptune, and sang his heart out while being attacked by the dozens of hands surrounding him, all attempting to touch his hair. Regardless, it was almost an intimate experience, with Dan singing right in the middle of the crowd—it was pretty beautiful. If you’re curious about their rendition of this song, you can check it out here. They successfully performed it with a much more psychedelic and loopy sound to really make it their own. Dare I say I liked it just as much as the original? Yes.
This show was hypnotic. Ever since that night, I’ve been listening to Zaba nonstop. Can you blame me?
April Jingco / Burgers For Hands / KXSU Music Reporter