Sold out and sweaty: Neon Indian successfully tears through the Grog Shop (again)
Neon Indian sure as hell knows how to throw a party, and it’s one Cleveland is likely to never get tired of.
On April 4, this indie synth pop group managed to sell out its third show at the Grog Shop within a year, and they played as hard as I’ve ever seen them.
After leading the set off with “Local Joke,” and kicking the crowd into a dance party frenzy, the band lept into several songs from the newer release Era Extrana. The longer the band played, the wilder the crowd became, and both sides fed off one another’s energy. After announcing their last song, frontman Alan Palomo opted to play another four without a break, hitting crowd favorites like “Deadbeat Summer” and “Polish Girl,” causing the crowd to really let loose. Seriously, I have never seen so much crowd surfing at the Grog Shop (or any for that matter). People were riding on the tops of their fellow concertgoers left and right. Some even opted for some pullups on the Grog’s I-beams.
Toward the end of the show, one of the band’s members professed, “This is the coolest party we’ve ever played!” Serious or not, I don’t know, but its still a testament to Cleveland’s love for Neon Indian.
It took a song or two for me to get into the opener, Friends, but after that I was feeling it. The band’s lead singer, Samantha Urbani, has some truly hypnotizing and slightly soulful vocals backed by a shit ton of reverb. “Yeah we’re one of those bands,” she proclaimed while requesting more reverb during the soundcheck.
Friends managed to push out a lot of percussion, without using a standard drum kit, while minimal keyboards and bass set a chill groove for Urbani to croon over. Definitely check em out if you’re looking for some sit-back-and-relax or baby-making music.
