
October 25th, 2016 at House of Blues Boston

If there is one thing everyone should know about St. Lucia, it’s that they know how to make every show a performance. Their vibrant set had large diamond shaped lights that changed colors with the music, dramatic risers for the drummers, and even cactuses. The Brooklyn-based band, started by South African-born artist Jean-Phillip, came to the House of Blues in Boston on Tuesday, October 25th.

Coming to the House of Blues, I was met with a long line of people waiting for the doors to open. The energy was high from the people around me and, by eight, the opening band, 

, had hit the stage. The band consists of just two members, Chris Baio, best known as the bassist for Vampire Weekend, and a guitarist. Despite Baio’s history in Vampire Weekend, I found the performance to be very awkward. Much of his singing was flat, especially on higher notes. Although it was clear that his intended sound was a new take on old classic rock, it just did not work, especially on a stage with just two people. If the stage performance had been arranged differently, some of his songs, like “Sister of Pearl,” would have sounded better.

By the time Baio left the stage and St. Lucia was preparing to come on, I turned around to find a crowd was packed with college students and young professionals behind me, eager to see St. Lucia live. Suddenly the lights dimmed to a deep blue and the music started. The band positioned themselves on stage, Patricia Berenek on the left as percussionist and female vocalist, Nick Paul on the back left as percussionist and keyboardist, Dustin Kaufman on the back right as drummer, and Ross Clark on the right as the electric bassist. The lights were changing colors wildly as Jean-Phillip Grobler entered the stage singing “Paper Heart” with a baby blue electric guitar. Song after song, from “Closer Than This” to “Do You Remember” to “Elevate,” the audience was dancing along. There was not a moment where the band did not look like there was a party on stage. As an alternative pop band, many of the songs were light-hearted and unequivocally fun. When “We Got It Wrong” came on, St. Lucia led the audience in singing a line, “Don’t go away,” when Jean-Phillip Grobler pointed at us. The next song played, my personal favorite, “Dancing on Glass” was particularly great due to the effort of the percussionists and the build-up to the chorus. Right after this song, Jean-Phillip Grobler picked up his bandmates electric bass for the song “All Eyes on You.” The harmonizing of voices in this song were beautiful to listen to. They also used the disco lights in some parts of this song, which only added to the incredible lighting design that was utilized throughout the show. In the song, “Winds of Change,” Patricia Beranek led the audience in clapping along, adding depth to the song with her vocals. As the set was coming to a close, St. Lucia serenaded the audience with “Too Close,” followed by their popular song “September.” The audience was so engrossed in “September” that Grobler responded by jumping off the stage into the audience as the beat was dropping. They ended the first portion of their set with “Physical,” one of their dance songs that made the crowd beg for an encore.

Luckily, St. Lucia came back for three more songs, “Love Somebody,” “Home,” and “Elevate.” For this first encore song, the band came back on stage without the lead singer. Although we could hear him singing, we could not see him as he moved through the audience singing the love ballad. Grobler got back on stage for the second song, “Home,” jumping around the stage with the rest of the band. It was fitting that the show ended with “Elevate” as it was the first song that St. Lucia gained attention for. Seeing St. Lucia live was a very enjoyable experience, and I look forward to catching them again when they return to Boston.

St. Lucia @ House of Blues

Nick Waterhouse with Hearing Things
October 10th, 2016 at The Sinclair
By: Nicole Piker

Nick Waterhouse brought his old R&B funk to the stage of the Sinclair in Boston on Columbus Day. There is something thrilling about seeing an artist live who can come on stage wearing a dark suit and jacket with dark rimmed glasses, dressed like an R&B artist straight out of the 1950’s with the confidence to match, as he pulled the mic stand towards himself. Although Nick Waterhouse and his backup band, The Tarots, were great to see live, I did feel a little bit let down by the turn out of the crowd. Although, in retrospect, his music is quite outside of the mainstream, so this is not unexpected. The unanimous vibe of the people surrounding me, joyfully swaying to the rhythm with a beer in hand, was that they were fully absorbed in the music. His calmness and cool composure was juxtaposed with the moodiness of the band, which consisted of a saxophonist, drummer, keyboardist, electric bassist, and backup vocalist/ tambourine player.

Walking into the Sinclair that night, I was surprised that the opening band, Hearing Things, started right on schedule. Despite their matching white suit jackets and their excitement to open for Nick Waterhouse in both Brooklyn and Boston, I wasn’t wowed by them at all. It was clear that they were skilled musicians who played their instruments well, but there was nothing original to set them apart from other bands trying to capture the same sound. One song that stood out was “Transit of Venus”. The saxophone had a sinister melody and some of the drumming was on the upbeat — yet there was still something off about it. “Hotel Prison,” a song about a haunted hotel the band once stayed at, was probably the best one they played and well received by the audience.

As the crowd grew, the stage lights were dimmed to a deep blue color, prompting The Tarots to come on stage. “Sleeping Pill,” one of his funk classics from his album 

, kicked off the set with the combination of Nick Waterhouse’s R&B voice and the female backup singer adding dimension. Another song that stood out was “It’s Time;” it had a fun fast-paced rock and jazz that had the audience dancing and singing along. As the set continued, we heard solos from the sax, dancing from the backup singer, a drum solo, and even a guitar solo from Nick Waterhouse. He played a good mix of songs from all of his albums, 

. He waited to play “Ain’t There Something That Money Can’t Buy” until about halfway through his performance, at which point the audience was suitably excited. Not only did Nick Waterhouse kill his guitar solo and vocals in this song, but the entire band participated fully, singing and moving around the stage. It was truly a highpoint in the show. Although many of his songs like “The Old Place” and “Say I Wanna Know” were exceptionally great to see live and were even better than the recordings, some of his other songs did not have that extra “oomph” that I was hoping for. The majority sounded like nearly indistinguishable renditions of his song “Time’s All Gone” which can get very repetitive. To my disappointment he never played the most popular song from his new album 

, “Katchi,” which he collaborated with Leon Bridges to make. Even so, the show was a success – Waterhouse captivated an audience that reflected all of the energy he brought to the stage.

Nick Waterhouse @ The Sinclair

Some of us have been counting down the days until Thomston’s new album 

 came out. Thomas Stoneman, the brilliant artist who goes by the name Thomston, has a way of making the moody melodies of his alternative pop music deeply entrancing. His soothing voice cuts through the songs in multiple layers, adding to the mysterious vibe that is a trademark of his music. The album begins with “Survey”, a preface that sets the framework for Thomston’s first full album. “Float”, “Rocketfuel”, and “The Outskirts” stand out to me as some of my personal favorites. In “Float,” Thomston tells the story of love, loss, and pushing someone past their breaking point. The lyrics are both poetic and tragic, which is only magnified by the softness of his voice in this song. The offbeat sound of “Rocketfuel” in 

 separates him from many artists that have not branched out in such a way. When he sings, “You are the only one who makes me feel nervous like this,” the bass sounds like an anxious heartbeat. “The Outskirts” has the catchiest chorus; Thomston sings about dreams of running away and the agitation that comes with it. This song has some of the deepest lyrics and best vocals as well. Thomston made sure to include some of our favorites in the album, “Window Seat (feat. Wafia),” “Collarbones,” and “Expiry Date,” which I think was a nice touch and tribute to his fans. Thomston is so sincere and expressive in this album. It is difficult not to love it.