I. Love. Pale. Waves. Plain and simple. These British babes completely captivated me even with a short set of mostly unreleased songs. Lead singer Heather Baron Gracie is the coolest girl I've ever seen and it translates into the most effortless, fun, 80's-reminiscent synth pop around.
GUYS. I finally got to see Andrew Belle live, and it only took about 9 years. He was incredibly sweet and every bit worth the wait, plus put on one of the most relaxing shows I have ever been to. (Also check out those lights *drool*)
Over the last year I have become completely infatuated with Lostboycrow, so much so that this week I embarked on a road trip of epic proportions to catch 3 dates on the Spin the Globe Tour.
My week started at 7am on Tuesday........ ok 10am (sorry I was late, I was watching Jersey Shore reruns instead of packing). Despite all of the preparations that I'd meticulously made for the months since the tour was announced, everything was off to a rough start. The days leading up to my trip were filled with anxiety, more stress than my body had ever been under, and my tour budget had dwindled down to the bare necessities - I had about $100 in my pocket to cover food, gas, and everything I needed for the four day trip. Even with my emotions on thin ice, I had an overwhelming excitement that was the driving force behind every mile I traveled.
After the 8 hour drive to my family's house in New Orleans and a quick nap I left for the first show in Atlanta, Georgia. The entire way to the venue I was practically bouncing out of my seat, windows down, singing Lostboycrow songs at the top of my lungs down the highway. Finally, after 9 hours and a quick stop on the side of the highway to finish getting ready for the show, I made it to the first venue. A small group of us that had gotten there way too early chatted excitedly about the show while we tried to keep out of the rain that all-too-conveniently decided to start right when everyone was showing up. After a few hours we were led into the venue and it still hadn't quite hit me that I had actually made it. After everything that was thrown into the way, I was about to have the time of my life.
The first artist, Dysn, came on to the stage and we all simultaneously became the personification of the heart eyes emoji. For his first tour ever (I believe... fact check?) Dysn was charming and relaxed, even through a technical difficulty he pressed on and had all of us wrapped around his finger the entire time. Next came Prelow, or, as I've come to know them on the internet, Pre and Low (long story, boils down to me being an idiot on twitter- what else is new), an alternative duo from New York that are at a level of cool that I could only dream of being. Everyone was screaming the words to every song, the energy in the room was electric and didn't ease up even after Prelow left the stage. A few minutes later, the intro to Spin the Globe brought the audience to an immediate silence followed by excited screams the second Lostboycrow hit the stage.
A Lostboycrow live show is unlike any other. I've said it before, but especially after hearing it all week up close and personal, LBC has my absolute favorite voice of any artist I've heard, it never lets up, not even for a second- sometimes you wish it would just to give your heart a break. Every little detail of the set was intentional, from the order of the setlist, to the transitions, and even lighting cues that matched the tone of every song. My personal favorite, Nobody Knows, a love song that has Ed Sheeran cowering in a corner, sent my wig skyrocketing into orbit, and left me with one foot in the grave (someone please take away my internet for actually typing that out, I'm so sorry). If you've ever wanted to know what it feels like to fall in love in under 5 minutes, be front row and have LBC sing that song right to your face, then get back to me. The set ended with a stripped down performance of "Start Something" that was the perfect cool down for the evening, time to get calm, cool and collected after dancing our asses off for the entire night.
After the show I waited around at the venue with a group of girls that I'd met that night, we talked about the set and waited anxiously to talk to Dysn, Prelow and LBC. I first ran into Matt from Prelow, or as I mentioned above, Pre. The first words out of his mouth? "Hey, you're Iammarissakaye on twitter, right?"........ this is my legacy, people. We talked for a minute about all of my "twitter bullshit" and, despite my rapid fire apologies, he insisted that they liked it. Unfortunately, the first night of tour I didn't get to talk much with Dysn or the other half of Prelow, but after about an hour I worked my way over to Lostboycrow and instantly melted.
I don't really know if I can explain it properly without sounding like a lovestruck child, but Lostboycrow has an overwhelming calming presence. Like every ounce of anxiety or nervousness completely disappears the second you walk up. I think that's what I like the most. After chatting for a bit and taking a few pictures, even though I didn't want to, we all had to leave, mostly because the venue was politely forcing us out, but also because we still had a four hour trip to Nashville ahead of us (the small group of us that were left were all making the trip).
That night, exhausted, I settled into the backseat of my little rental car in a walmart parking lot not far outside of Atlanta. The next morning I headed to Nashville where, thanks to the kindess of a group of girls that I'd met through Lostboycrow on twitter, I got to go inside an apartment and get ready for the show (there's no better feeling than a shower after sleeping in a walmart parking lot LET ME TELL YOU). After a few hours we all headed over to the venue, a small room directly underneath a record store (despite its size it is one hundred percent my favorite venue I think I've ever been in), and waited for the doors to open, passing the time by talking with other fans and members of LBC's crew about the show the night before.
After the show we, yet again, shut the place down, all of us still too excited to leave. I think the energy was reciprocated by the bands, too, at one point Dysn and a fan even broke out a guitar and started singing IRL, the guys from Prelow were running all over the place talking to everyone, and LBC was talking to us about everything under the sun (I think at one point the conversation even turned to Shakespeare?). Nobody wanted to really end the night, but they were all exhausted and I still had a 13 hour drive back home ahead of me, so, reluctantly, I left and started my journey home.
Running on pure adrenaline, an hour nap somewhere in Arkansas, and my new diet of pretzel sticks that were running dangerously low and Red Bull, I finally made it back home and got some well needed rest before the last night of my little tour in my hometown, Austin, TX.
I could be biased, but Austin was by far my favorite show out of the three. Before the show I got to chat a little bit with LBC, and give him my gift of the most fabulous pink sequin cowboy hat you've ever seen and his questionable snack of choice, oreos and water (no, seriously. Apparently its a "texture not a taste thing" idk it's still weird, dude). This little conversation got me even more excited for the show and I felt like I was going to fall apart at the seams waiting for it to start, even though I knew I'd be sad once it was over because there wasn't another show to look forward to.
During the show, I savored every moment of every song, knowing it would be the last time I would get to hear them live for a while. I danced and sang my heart out, wishing that I could live in those few hours forever.
In the four days that I spent on this trip, I learned so much about myself. I learned that adrenaline is one hell of a drug and can, even though it gets a little sketchy towards the end, propel you through drives that really should take more than one day. I learned that a diet of pretzel sticks and red bull is not recommended for a very good reason, and on a more serious note, I learned that sometimes the best medicine is spending some time alone in reflection and the catharsis that is driving down the highways in the middle of nowhere singing your favorite songs as loud as you can.
The Spin the Globe Tour was one of the best weeks of my life. I am forever grateful for the relationship that I've built with Lostboycrow, someone who not only is an incredible talent, but one of the sweetest, most genuine, and patient human beings I've ever met (seriously, he should get some kind of award for putting up with my bullshit and the way I fumble through most interactions). I'll never forget the kindness shown by Prelow, Dysn, and every member of Lostboycrow's team even when I'm sure I became the most annoying person on the face of the planet and all of the friendships that I made along the way.
Dysn, Prelow (Matt, Jesse- Pre, Low), Lostboycrow, thank you for the best week of my life.
ok sorry I got a lil sappy there, I should probably go before I shed a tear.
Love,
Marissa
P.S. there's a gallery below of allllll the photos I took this tour, these guys are very beautiful humans, please enjoy.
Wow, I haven't done one of these in a while, but when you're inspired you're inspired and MUNA definitely reignited my desire to write, so y'all get ready for a lot more fresh content coming your way.
Over the last few months, I have completely fallen in love with MUNA. From the second I heard their debut record About You, I knew I had found something great. Each song on this album resonated with me in ways that I hadn't found before, giving me a sense of peace and that moment of "wow, FINALLY, someone gets it."
From day one, I made it my mission to see a MUNA live show. Only problem? The shows they were playing in Austin were ACL Festival (who really wants their first time seeing an artist they love to be a festival, not me) and a show with Harry Styles.... and we all know how fast that sold out.
Then, like a gift from God, they announced an ACL Late Night headliner, for $20 at a venue that holds less that 500 people.
On October 12, I made my way to The Parish, a small hole-in-the-wall that you'd definitely pass if you weren't looking for it. A small line had already formed, despite doors not being for over an hour, everyone waiting was talking about the show they'd played the night before with Harry Styles. I chimed in with what I'd hoped they'd put on the setlist, my thoughts on the album and everything in between, getting more and more anxious as we talked through each song.
The opening artist, Keeper, were a trio of women who I am very convinced are actually angels. Their music was so serene, the only way to describe it would be to call it a badass choir. Normally, I would be opposed to an opener being so mellow when their purpose is to get everyone warmed up and excited for the rest of the show, but they were somehow the perfect fit, easing every last bit of anxiety that was building throughout the day.
MUNA's live set completely changed my life.
I know, I know, I say that a lot, but out of all the shows I go to, I have never in my life felt so safe to dance, and cry and just feel whatever the music brought out. I don't know if it was the intimacy of the venue, the energy of the crowd, or something within MUNA themselves, but it was very evident that this show was special for everyone in the room. Even Katie, their lead singer, was brought to tears by If U Love Me Now, and honestly, I was crying right there along with her. But with the sadness came so much joy. With covers of U2 and Stevie Nicks, the whole room was screaming the lyrics and dancing without inhibition, nobody cared how you dance or if your singing was not unlike a dying animal, we were all in it together.
My favorite part of the night was by far the last song. I Know A Place has become an anthem within my life, it's the song that I scream in the car when I'm having a bad day and the song I dance to in the living room to celebrate the good ones. Everyone in the audience seemed to share that sentiment, you could barely hear Katie because we were all singing at the top of our lungs, shouting the lyrics to a song that means the world.
When the show was over, I went outside of the venue to wait to see if I could meet them, to get a chance to tell them how much their album means to me and, hopefully, have Katie write " I know a place" for me to get tattooed. After about an hour they came out and told the small group of people that were waiting that, unfortunately, they were getting sick and needed to rest for their upcoming shows, so they weren't going to be able to take photos and stick around to chat with everyone. But before they left, I asked if it would be okay if Katie wrote my tattoo and, without hesitation, they wrote down my instagram information so they could send me a tattoo of their design. The kindness that they showed even when they didn't have to made it even more clear that MUNA will always be some of my favorite people on the planet.
With everything that has occurred the past few weeks within the music community and in our country, I feared that the safe haven that I've found in live music would be gone, MUNA reassured me that no matter what life throws our way we will always be able to come back together to a place of love and acceptance and understanding that no one can ever take away, and for that I am forever grateful.
Love,
Marissa
