Last Friday night, all-girl garage pop band La Luz made a stop in Austin at Hotel Vegas to perform a show with GALPALS. Despite being only vaguely familiar with the band, I was looking forward to an evening of empowered ladies kicking out some distorted pop jams, but I had no idea the show would be as much fun as it proved to be.
Lead singer Shana Cleveland shimmied all over the stage as she laid down surfy, infectious songs that were impossible not to dance to. About three songs in, drummer Marian Li Pino asked the crowd to divide into two parts, creating a median aisle for concertgoers to dance down a la Soul Train. Li Pino’s enthusiasm and energy emerged in laughter, banter, and mannerisms between songs throughout the night. The band sounded impeccable as smiles, wide eyes, and dancing clearly displayed the enjoyment of concertgoers who were clearly impressed. If you’re craving a fun dance party with a punk rock edge, we suggest catching La Luz on one of their remaining tour dates, which we’ll post below, preceding a photo gallery.
Earlier in the night, GALPALS performed a set fit to accompany La Luz as the girl duo of Lauren Mikus and Jillian Talley rocked through their garagey pop numbers. GALPALS has started to perform some new songs, and this was my second time hearing them after hearing them when the band opened for Best Coast. Mikus and Talley are sounding great as always, and definitely strengthened the bill.
Jul 11 – Black Cat Burrito – Boone, NC
Jul 12 – Golden West Cafe – Baltimore, MD
Jul 14 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
Jul 15 – T.T. the Bear’s Place – Cambridge, MA
Jul 17 – BAR – New Haven, CT
Jul 18 – The MakeSpace – Harrisburg, PA
Jul 19 – Happy Dog – Cleveland, OH
Jul 20 – Garden Bowl – Detroit, MI
Jul 23 – Sweatshop Gallery – Omaha, NE
Jul 26 – Neurolux – Boise, ID
Jul 26 – Capitol Hill Block Party – Seattle, WA
All photos © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
