The Lazy Eyes 'Songbook' springs to life in a dynamic performance at The Echo
It was an uncharacteristically inclement evening in Los Angeles, the city itself seemed to shiver as temperatures dipped and rain-slicked Sunset Boulevard glistened with wavering reflections of pale streetlights and vibrant neon signs. This was the night that Australia's The Lazy Eyes played their first ever show in the City of Angels, the second stop on their inaugural US tour, and like the weather itself the performance would prove to be an uncommon deluge of beautifully torrential psychedelia.
Inside The Echo the atmosphere remained initially chilly as the crowd congregated in front of the stage and occasional drips from the ceiling provided an irregular reminder of the storm outside. Taking the stage with little fanfare, Cheer Up Club was quite literally up against the elements. Refusing to allow the current meteorological conditions to dampen their spirits, the band quickly launched into a set of tunes that seemed to part the dense layer of storm clouds above to bathe the venue in the warm radiance of SoCal's normally sunny and carefree disposition.Â
With a setlist that expertly channeled 90s and 00s skatepark alterative, Cheer Up Club lived up to their name by unabashedly embracing the eternally youthful energies of Weezer's Blue Album and Dookie-era Green Day for a feel-great set of tunes that quickly had the audience bopping along to the band's jagged power chords and infectious rhythms. Frontman Ethan Goodman even quipped that the vibe "feels like Warped Tour 2008" with the charming shrug of a performer who is completely aware of his prowess in delivering the good times. Cheer Up Club's scruffy attitude positions them as overachieving underdogs, cut from the same cloth as Rushmore's Max Fischer and equally willing to bend the rules as necessary to save, in this case, rock and roll.  Â
The set became progressively noisier and rowdier, even incorporating referential sonic elements of Nirvana's Bleach to add a grungy edge to the established power-pop angle. By the time the band wrapped up the mood of the crowd was visibly improved, awash with smiling faces and buzzing with positivity. Their mission accomplished, the band exited the stage with a humble wave having successfully enlisted a room full of new, enthusiastic members of the Cheer Up Club.
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Like kernels on the verge of exploding into fluffy bits of popcorn, the crowd was imbued with tangible anticipation in the liminal space between sets. The Lazy Eyes have been steadily building a reputation as the next big thing in guitar-based psychedelic rock for some time, self-releasing a pair of EPs and culminating in an absolutely sterling full-length debut that has garnered significant buzz within indie circles. The band's arrival in the US has been greatly anticipated, a sort of 21st Century Beatlemania for those in the know, and promised to be the start of a full-scale invasion by these charming lads from Down Under.
With a furious drumroll The Lazy Eyes dove into their set, immediately demonstrating the dynamic intricacies and muscular presence the band produces on record is 100% authentic to their live show as well. Performing Songbook in it's entirety, creatively shuffled to keep things interesting, revealed just how deep The Lazy Eyes' dedication to their craft goes as extended jams and expanded ideas amplified the album's already impressive scope into a kaleidoscopic whirlwind of sound and texture. Noah Martin's inventive percussive skills move with mechanical unpredictability, bouncing off into thrilling rolls and progressive time changes that balance the band's cadence on a razor's edge, as Leon Karagic lays down seriously funky basslines that dance and weave among the rhythm. Like a visitor from a parallel dimension, Itay Sasha's otherworldly guitar heroics are a chameleonic expression of electric wonder, consistently defying convention and setting The Lazy Eyes far ahead of the pack in terms of uniquely expressive technical playing. Harvey Geraghty's distinctive vocals primarily take the lead, but it is his uncanny ability to adeptly swap between guitar and keys that stands as a critical component of the band's sound, augmenting Itay's guitar lead with serious six-string support or injecting fresh emotive resonance via ivory interludes that augment the band's edge with a dreamy disposition.
The lone addition to the performance of Songbook's tracklist was an inspired cover of the Bee Gees' 1978 hit "More Than A Woman," originally unveiled by The Lazy Eyes as part of Triple J's Like A Version YouTube covers series. With tremendous dexterity the band transformed the original track's sugary effervescence into a colossally heavy disco-psych jam imbued with a tremendously fuzzed-out stomp. "More Than A Woman" reveals precisely what makes The Lazy Eyes so special; an uncanny ability to meld emotive pop sensibilities with an uncompromising psychedelic rock ethos into an undeniably magnetic amalgamation of perspectives that moves across boundaries with ease.
After an encore that featured an impressively massive rendition of crowd pleaser "Fuzz Jam" whipped into a bubbling cauldron of sound, the lights slowly came up and the band descended into the the audience for an extended impromptu meet-and-greet session that placed the affable Aussies at the center of an adoring US audience. Cameras flashed and Sharpies were brandished across LP jackets and amidst all the fanfare The Lazy Eyes lost none of their humility, as grateful to have performed for a crowd that was so similarly appreciative.
The Lazy Eyes are currently on their first US tour. Stream Songbook on Spotify and follow the band on Instagram. Stream Cheer Up Club on Spotify and follow the band on Instagram.
The Lazy Eyes Upcoming US Tour Dates
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NOV 13 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
NOV 14 - DC9 - Washington, DC
NOV 15 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA