If the tour poster for Summer Is Forever II doesn’t alleviate the blistering Winter season, the music backing it will recall those sought after sensations of Summer warmth. There was something triumphant about this affair; be it Wavves’ long-reaching appeal or Best Coast’s 90s-pop flair. Whatever the case may be, fresh-faced youths were reeled in by the dozens and demonstrated their approval through calculated slam dancing.
The wrestling-themed tour poster features Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast relishing in assorted luxuries – A gold-platted championship belt and mug – with her glimmering eyes beckoning your attention. Wavves frontman Nathan Williams, however, is depicted as a challenging masked wrestler with washboard abs and chiseled features.
The poster itself speaks volumes about the sheer magnitude of this tour. It’s clear that the once amateurs of messy, beach pop – who had just 8 years ago been making stoner anthems in a bedroom recording system – have emerged victorious. These formidable foes have also made some much needed advancements, polishing their topsy-turvy aesthetic into a patently controlled stage performance. This is a modern underdog story. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm that’s been carrying these outfits since their inception didn’t translate well on stage.
Addled by THC, this tour stop at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall sun-kissed attendees with a fuzzy foray into slacker garage-rock. This isn’t the first time Wavves and Best Coast have joined forces in a collaborative project or graced the Toronto concert circle. In 2011, the bands released a split single called “Summer Is Forever”, with an accompanying tour imparting a similar infatuation with sunshine and weed. Toronto hasn’t seen a shortage of tour stops from the Cali rockers either.
Since then, the two projects have become lo-fi staples and poster children for the current garage resurgence diffusing throughout the West Coast. While the projects wore their influences on their sleeves throughout each individual performance (Wavves occupied pop-punk terrain through an over-driven surf filter. Best Coast trafficked in squeaky-clean girl pop with an emphasis on distorted guitar melodies), they’ve campaigned themselves well enough to keep word-of-mouth publicity a marketable catch instead of a fleeting gimmick. Despite the often cringe worthy results, the performances were noticeably complex; more mature, if you will.
The lo-fi practitioners have effectively pooled their recourses into a show that’s both technically and performance based.
The first act on the bill, L.A. quartet Cherry Glazerr, took center stage after a receptive burst of cheers. While they weren’t anything to write home about, the band’s off-kilter blend of somber jangle pop resonated with the venue’s younger demographic. Frontwoman Clementine Creevy lamented over grilled cheese sandwiches and the anxieties of modern age adolescence. Her charismatic vocal yelps were propelled by outpours of musical energy, brought by a backing band consisting of bass, drums, and synths. After the performance, a detractor sardonically remarked, “Do you feel ‘Cherry glazed?’”
Wavves entered in perfect intervals over a chirpy xylophone line. Bassist Stephen Pope launched into the grunge-zested bass hook of “Sail To The Sun.” Melodically, Nathan Williams delivered finely crafted pop melodies – rife with “oohs” and “ahhs” – over roaring power chords. Williams also had an equally essential sense of stage presence, wailing feverishly into his microphone as if he was on the prowl for blood. The obvious nods to Kurt Cobain and Blink-182 offered little variety between songs, but this only heightened the plainspoken rawness of the instrumentation. Weed smoke was wafting in abundance as Wavves absorbed the audience’s energy and scattered it outward. The set was downright electrifying, with the only downside being Williams’ heavy leaning on newer material. The setlist was comprised mostly of tracks from his grunge love letter Afraid of Heights and his doleful pop-punk output V.
Best Coast closed the show, melding hazy, dream-like pop with more experienced stage theatrics. Bethany Cosentino possessed an alluring quality that showcased her effortless talent. After the reverb-laden alt jam “California Nights”, Cosentino deadpanned, “Now here’s the rocker.” “The Only Place” soon followed, cueing the audience to crowd surf atop the outstretched arms of venue security. Venue chatter cushioned the insanity. “Free Kesha!” declared a male attendee (referring to the pop star’s recent contract dispute), Cosentino replied “Seriously, free Kesha.”
The tour budget this time around has no doubt doubled since the initial Summer Is Forever tour, allowing for more sonically beefy performances and elaborate spectacles. Wavves and Best Coast can stand grand alongside towering instrumentation, but the performances felt like an awkward, condensed version of the two. The audience was feeling it. Eh, whatever floats their boat.
Review – Calvin Cashen
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