Porches and Alex G performed to a sold out show at the Echoplex last Tuesday, March 29. Porches had initially caught my attention with their latest release Pool which is a rather danceable indie electronic and rock album, and quite a drastic shift from lead singer Aaron Maine’s earlier folk and garage rock works.
While Porches sold me on the show, most of the crowd appeared to be Alex G devotees. I had only recently started listening to him just after purchasing the ticket. I’m glad I did, because amidst the recently released lo-fi album, Beach Music, hidden gems like “Thorns” and “Brite Boy” are some new favorites in my Indie music repertoire.
The show opened with Kansas based atmospheric rock band, Your Friend. Their slow ambient songs had the crowd watching intently. Porches took the stage and dove right into their dreamy electronic tracks. They performed mostly songs from Pool, along with a couple of tracks from Slow Dance in the Cosmos. What really took Porches show to the next level were the other-worldly commentary between songs from Maine, repeatedly asking the audience questions like, “What did you think about during that song?” And spewing randomness together in poetry. The audience was ecstatic to see a guest performer take the stage, Dev Hynes of Blood Orange for one song, and was baffled when Maine asked the audience to sit down just as an experiment during “Permanent Loan,” one of their heavier tracks. And while I was slightly disappointed in now hearing them perform “Intimate,” I was rather impressed with Porches stage presence and variety.
Alex G performed to a sardined audience, and I made my way to the middle. What I wasn’t expecting during this mellow performance was for a spontaneous mosh pit to procure right where I was standing–my foot is still recovering. However, that settled down rather quickly and I enjoyed the Elliot Smith style softness and powerhouse Indie Rock. To close the set, they invited Porches female singer to join them on stage to sing a heartwarming “Brite Boy.” Watch here:
Indiecation 