Spiral Choir: A Night with Local Natives at Stubbs
Local Natives Spiral Choir tour has taken the band nationwide following the release of their fourth album, Violet Street. Last Saturday night they arrived in Austin at Stubb’s to a crowd alight, reflecting the youthful energy that their poppy indie rock has in spades.
The group has five members: Nik Ewing (bass, vocals, keys), Ryan Hanh (vocals, guitar), Taylor Rice (vocals, guitar), Kelcey Ayer (vocals, keys), and Matt Frazier (drums).
The show was a sweaty, joyous affair. Flanked by white pillars of questions, names, and milk carton hieroglyphics, Ewing launched into the band’s first song of the evening. “Vogue,” a moving feat of production, stilled the audience and momentarily brought a tonality of the minor key before crescendoing into the heavenly chorus of strings and three-part vocal harmonies that have become a staple of their sound. After “Vogue” the group quickly launched into an early hit, “Sun Hands,” off of their debut album “Gorilla Manor,” and from there the grooves just kept coming.
Photo by Austin Johnson (@intrntl)
According to an interview conducted by Consequence of Sound’s Ben Kaye, “Violet Street” was an exercise in musicianship, competition, and reconstitution. Rice explained it as a return to the collaborative methods that helped shape “Gorilla Manor(s)” sound. “We got back to our strengths. We’ve always been super collaborative and democratic, as we have three songwriters and singers, and all five of us have a lot of creative input,” Rice said. “This was the most collaborative and open we’ve been.” Preparing the album, the band wrote in close proximity to each other and came away with a springy project, innovative in both its production and live performance.
Photo by Austin Johnson (@intrntl)
As somebody new to the dynamic of Local Natives I’d expected that, like most bands, everybody played their singular role- i.e., the lead singer is the lead singer, keyboardist is the keyboardist, etc.- but this wasn’t the case Saturday night. Throughout the concert, as with Violet Street’s writing process, instruments were switched and different singers highlighted. Everybody on stage got a chance to be the frontman and bring their unique talents for instrumentation and vocalization to the Stubb’s stage.
Photo by Austin Johnson (@intrntl)
Local Natives come from Silver Lake, Los Angeles, and their sound captures the ideal sun-drenched California lifestyle. Songs like “When Am I Gonna Lose You” and “Coins” were sung with the joyous abandon of a windows-down ride down Sunset Boulevard by both artist and the audience. “Megaton Mile,” which Ewing described as “a fun song about the apocalypse,” entranced the crowd with its deliberate guitar, consistent energetic drumming and lyrical content (“All we could do is watch”).
Ewing took some time away from the set to thank the city of Austin. “We have a long history with Austin,” Ewing said. “We kind of got our start here. You’re a home away from home.” He also said that Stubbs is one of the groups “favorite venues in the whole world to play.”
Photo by Austin Johnson (@intrntl)
The group ended the night on the somber acoustic jam “Who Knows Who Cares”. It was a fitting climax of emotional intensity sung along by a grateful audience to cap off a night of harmonic hits and breezy tunes that was at once a testament to the potential of Local Natives and a recognition of the strength that comes with a realized artistic unity.