Talk Talk Talk of the town: The Paranoyds' triumphant homecoming show at The Lodge Room
2022 was a banner year for The Paranoyds, highlighted by the release of the sophomore LP Talk Talk Talk on Third Man Records and a North American tour that saw the neo New Wave four piece bring their incredibly raucous set to audiences from sea to shining sea. Culminating in a homecoming performance at LA's The Lodge Room, The Paranoyds celebrated their achievements in grand style, surrounded by some of their most ardent fans and a supporting lineup of top-shelf talent.
The evening's stacked lineup kicked off with up-and-coming firebrands Reckling delivering a furious set of incendiary tracks that moved at a mind-bendingly frenetic pace. Notable for imbuing the reckless speed and ferocity of punk with an overpoweringly heavy low end for a cataclysmic onslaught of emotive heft and relentless fortitude, Reckling's sonic palette incorporates elements of alt-rock as a means tempering white-hot acrimony like forge-fresh steel submerged in a frigid bath, expelling gouts of hissing steam to emerge solidly honed and razor sharp. Leaning into their established repertoire the band proved once again they are a force to be reckoned with, but the performance of a new track revealed additional levels of nuance being added to an already potent formula. Trace elements of surf guitar incorporated textural reverb amidst waves of noise to produce an incredible density of sound before rapidly shifting gears from full-bore electric assault into a slow and deliberate droning outro that descended headlong into the yawning chasm of doom rock's eternal void.
Kills Birds populated the middle spot with a revelatory high-energy set that cranked inherently substantial alt-rock conventions well past 11 into largely uncharted territories of unabashed muscular expression. The band tore through their setlist like a rabid canine straining against a chain, gnashing jaws revealing glistening fangs through foaming flecks of saliva, a whirlwind of savage devastation barely restrained. A colossal rhythm section provided an unyielding sensation of forward momentum like a breakneck hellride in a muscle car with one headlight and no seatbelts, as shades of post-punk guitar lines illuminated the scene with flash-bulb lightning strikes of high-contrast terror. Populated with passionate prose expelled with confessional intensity, Kills Birds' declarative lyricism was scrawled with manic intensity across instrumental soundscapes, a manifesto writ bold with uncompromising sound and fury.
The floor rumbled with a tangible hum, as if the Earth itself was oscillating in seismic anticipation of The Paranoyds' impending performance, shaking the very foundations of The Lodge Room and transmitting an elemental frequency up from the floorboards that unified the entire audience as singular entity in communion with the sound. Bursting forth from the stage like a string of firecrackers set off in a soup can, The Paranoyds proceeded to mobilize a campaign of neon exuberance to which all in attendance were powerless to resist, completely bulldozed by the band's larger than life gutter glam.
Not every song in The Paranoyds' portfolio is a day at the beach, there are many instances when the band can get outright apocalyptic, darkening dayglo soundscapes with creeping shadows that stretch from the edge of the frame like ominous vignettes on a freshly developed Polaroid. The ability to contrast casual nihilism with wide-eyed wonderment is one of the band's hallmarks and a product of their Los Angeles environment; immeasurable beauty balanced precipitously on the edge of civilization, expertly conveying these cultural contrasts with the sensation of sunbathing in the blinding flash of nuclear annihilation. Bounding back and forth between light and darkness with dynamic aplomb lent an air of unpredictable excitement that kept the crowd enraptured from the opening notes until the final waves of feedback faded into silence. After 57 days on tour The Paranoyds had returned home triumphant.
Stream Talk Talk Talk on Spotify and follow The Paranoyds on Instagram. Stream Kills Birds latest album, Married, on Spotify and follow the band on Instagram. Stream Reckling's EP on Spotify and follow the band on Instagram.
The Paranoyds Upcoming UK/EU Tour Dates
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NOV 22 - Rough Trade East - London, United Kingdom
NOV 23 - The Sebright Arms - London, United Kingdom
NOV 24 - Clwb Ifor Bach - Cardiff, United Kingdom
NOV 26 - Yes - Manchester, United Kingdom
NOV 27 - Dead Wax Digbeth - Birmingham, United Kingdom
NOV 28 - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, United Kingdom
NOV 30 - The Hope & Ruin - Brighton, United Kingdom
DEC 1 - Ramsgate Music Hall - Ramsgate, United Kingdom
DEC 2 - SUPERSONIC - Paris, France