On The List :: LESANDS @ Echo Curio [7.28.10]

Wednesday night we continued our Pan-American journey and headed to Echo Park's Echo Curio to catch one of our favorite new bands, San Diego's LESANDS. Much of this favoritism was based on the strength of one song, "Pretenders" and a lights-out EP their management sent over a few weeks back, leaving us in search of the live iteration. The Echo Curio might not have seemed like the perfect location for a band on the rise (no stage monitors, about the size of your parents living room, all tile) but it turned out perfectly: sweaty kids, a good crowd and enough decibels to vibrate your drink in your hand.

After a surprisingly loud and stunningly good set by LA's Roughed Up Folk, and a quick trip across the street for $2 Margarita night (Echo Park has downs but she has ups), LESANDS hit the stage around 11. A four-piece plus sampled synths and loops, the band is a wall of sound live. Of course, this says nothing of the live (and studio) strength of the song-writing on "Pretenders," the night's second song and a dead-ringer for a dubby version of Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition." The band also played "Glowing," even more enjoyable in echoing, shuddering volume. The lead singer apologized before their second-to-last song because he felt it was a little, "hip-hoppy." It wasn't, but it was absolutely enormous with peeling loops and samples washing over the audience like a well-directed and favorable swell.

The crowd spilled out onto Sunset and waited for the final band of the night to play. LESANDS packed their gear and you had to feel this band won't be playing 500 square-foot storefronts much longer. They didn't play like they were above this, but soon it will certainly be behind them.

Listen :: LESANDS - "Pretenders"