New Politics w/ Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, The Griswolds, and Lolo
Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
10.13.15

The crowd is on the younger side and the show starts early. On a Tuesday night, the Wilderness Politics tour takes over Showbox SoDo with a four-band lineup of varied pop pleasure. Co-headliners New Politics and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness are themselves an odd pairing and the split crowd is apparent.

The show opens with LOLO – née Lauren Pritchard – the edgy singer-songwriter you may have caught providing guest vocals on DCD2 label mates Panic at the Disco’s 2013 hit “Miss Jackson” or Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries” or gracing Broadway stages in Spring Awakening. Despite some technical difficulties, she and her guitarist impressively played right through a 20-minute set, her voice occupying unique territory somewhere between Fiona Apple and Joss Stone, with a hint of Adele-worthy belting thrown in. Plus, she did a gut-wrenching cover of Beyonce’s “Halo” so there’s that. Her Comeback Queen EP is out now, and definitely worth a spin.

Four-piece Aussie party animals The Griswolds were up next, bringing a completely different raw, but chill, energy to the stage. The groovy electro riffs and infectious melodies of their songs belie the personal vulnerability of their lyrics. They definitely put on a fun live performance, including plenty of crowd interaction, and even the venue staff can be seen dancing along. Party-ready anthems like “Right on Track” and “If You Wanna Stay” from their 2014 debut LP Be Impressive are sure to keep a crowd’s attention.

By the time Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness took to the stage, the audience was warmed up and ready for some shimmering alt-pop brilliance. A lot of smoke, giant balloons, fantastic light displays, this is definitely a well thought out show that McMahon has honed to glistening perfection. Touring for his solo self-titled release under this latest moniker, the pure piano-pop seems to have hit the mark, but you could tell that there were plenty of longstanding fans in the crowd. With the full band in tow, McMahon pulled out Jack’s Mannequin track “Holiday From Real” and Something Corporate’s “Punk Rock Princess.” His way around a heartwarming pop song hasn’t lost any momentum with the new album either, “Cecilia and the Satellite” clearly a crowd pleaser, during which he released the balloons to drop a rainbow of confetti over the crowd.

The crowd thinned out a bit for New Politics, the final act of the night, but that certainly didn’t stop them from putting on a vibrantly energetic performance. The Brooklyn-based group (yes, two of them are Danish, but frankly I can’t figure how it matters at this point) has certainly had their ups and downs, garnering them criticism and hit records at the same time. The August 2015 release of their third LP Vikings sees them back at it with their un-genre-fiable mix of pop, punk, hip hop and bombastic energy.

They began their set with the first single from that record “Everywhere I Go (Kings And Queens)” a track that demands attention with its angsty don’t-give-a-fuck vibe and worked their way through a set featuring tracks from all three of their albums. Lead vocalist David Boyd made avid use of his breakdancing skills, including a solo at the end of “50 Feet Tall” and a dance-off with a fan to some classic Michael Jackson. At several points Boyd jumped into the crowd and during “Strings Attached” guitarist Søren Hansen even crowd surfed while playing. Overall, while their songs don’t have a consistent vibe, the band maintains a consistent energy that is hard to argue with.

Catch up with the tour for a lineup with a little something for everyone here.

Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Alex Crick

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