Sea Girls @ Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles, 12 December 2019
Call it luck, call it kismet, the moment when you and a favourite band just happen to be in the same city halfway around the world. Sea Girls are no strangers to our Birmingham Live family; we’ve caught some of their solo shows throughout Birmingham’s venues and seen them take the stage at numerous festivals. So when our reviewer happened to be in Los Angeles CA at the same time as Sea Girls we knew we couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to see the band take to the States. A quick chat with drummer Oli fuelled our excitement, conversations about 2020 releases and tours swirled in our minds as the band took to the Hotel Café stage.
Sitting just off of Hollywood Blvd in a courtyard outside in December, thanks LA for the lovely 20 degrees weather, drummer Oli and I chat about all that is to come from Sea Girls. The band is wrapping up an epic 2019 that included numerous single releases and massive shows on major stages. 2020 is looking bright; Oli tells me about the new EP and some massive headlining tour dates. He also tells me about a new Star Wars denim outfit picked up that day, because it’s not an LA show without a little flair. On the precipice of the next chapter Sea Girls is ready, their music is charged with exuberance and feelings, their crowds are fuelled by the anthemic rock tinged tunes, and the band’s 2020 promises a blustering sonic explosion fit for the ever evolving band.
At Hotel Café, Sea Girls plays their last show of the decade to an adoring fandom of Americans. While the USA crowds tend to be a little less emphatic in energy, Sea Girls delivers a dizzying performance to the crowd, a rowdy ending to their time in the States. The night opens with electric tinged pop rock tune ‘Violet.’ From the first chords to the last ‘Violet” finds the crowd bouncing and head banging, a pure energy explosion that perfectly opens the night. With psychedelic undertones ‘Heavenly War’ and fan favourite ‘Lost” ramp up the energy, the small stage barely containing the four members of Sea Girls.
Anthemic ‘Too Much Fun’ has fans dancing around in whirls, the punk energy swirling around the red room. While far from home it is clear that Sea Girls has amassed a fandom in LA, something that brings a smile to our faces. ‘Eat Me Whole’ continues the savage energy, with both band and fans flipping around the venue.
In a sort of British meets Laurel Canyon vibe ‘Closer’ streams in. Singer Henry says the record “sounds American,” something many would agree with; the road trip vibe paired with soaring vocals and guitar riffs gives the song a cross-cultural motif. ‘Open Up Your Head’ continues the atmospheric rock songs, filling the room with warmth. New tune ‘Timeless’ comes next; ‘Timeless’ is a breath-taking acoustically bent song about young love. The beauty of ‘Timeless’ is obvious, it is one of the best love songs I’ve heard in some time showing Sea Girls ability to craft lyrically stirring tunes.
The night ends with an energy slap as ‘Damage Done’ collides into ‘All I Want to Hear You Say.’ ‘Call Me Out’ rounds out the night, fans singing loudly as the lads end. Sea Girls completely slayed their Hotel Café gig. The energy was palpable, the sonic wave was undeniable. We cannot wait to see all that Sea Girls has for 2020. The promise of new songs and a new tour leave us excited, waiting to consume more of what Sea Girls releases. The Birmingham show at O2 Institute in April is one not to miss, so make sure you get your tickets before they sell out!
Set List:
- Violet
- Heavenly War
- Lost
- Too Much Fun
- Eat Me Whole
- Closer
- Open Up Your Head
- Timeless
- Damage Done
- All I Want to Hear You Say
- Call Me Out
Review: Kylie McCormick