Circa Waves w/ Oberhofer & Acid Tongue
The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
09.14.15
Call it pop. That’s what it is. But don’t condemn Circa Waves for keying into the perfectly pure pop groove that drops all pretense and just has fun. The young Brits of CW are just that, young, and fresh, and clearly on top of the refreshingly wide-eyed sound they’re putting out. Catch them live and you’ll find those joyfully basic tracks are worth a smile and a turn on the dance floor. The crowd at the Crocodile seemed to be enjoying the CW vibes, their infectious energy filling the dark room with this year’s debut album Young Chasers. While the term “indie” continues to lose its definition, Circa Waves has moved past that calling card, taking the tour circuit by storm, especially on their home turf. Tracks like their current hit and show closer “T-Shirt Weather” prove that there’s something significant in their carefree, catchy tunes.
Filling the middle slot of the night was Oberhofer – born of Tacoma-raised and NYC-based Brad Oberhofer – who has assembled a band of merry players to give life to his surf-psych-pop revivalist compositions. Mixing melancholy memories with grungy guitars, Oberhofer played mostly new songs, bringing to life their 2015 release Chronovision with complete conviction. Oberhofer himself got down and dirty, dragging his guitar off stage and playing from the crowd at one point, creating even more of a connection with fans who clearly didn’t need any more convincing.
As a cherry on top, local openers Acid Tongue brought out their fuzzy do-wop laced beach-rock to get everyone into the right groove.
Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by David Endicott
Circa Waves
Oberhofer
Acid Tongue
