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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, March 29, 2024

Concert Review | Feisty Local Natives concert recalls band’s breakout album

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Playing to a packed audience at the House of Blues this past Saturday night, Local Natives delighted an audience saturated with college students, many from right here on the Hill. Local Natives, who made a name for themselves with their first album, “Gorilla Manor” (2010), have begun touring to promote their brand new sophomore album “Hummingbird” (2013). By virtue of their pensive lyrics and thoughtful melodies, Local Natives can often sound tame on their records. However, the full power of the band’s unique percussion appeared in their show. The performance by the Local Natives was pleasant and impressive, with the band mastering the difficulties of a live performance. They came out sounding and playing like the full-fledged indie-rock group that created “Gorilla Manor,” as opposed to the softer version of the band that penned their latest album.

Many bands that use varied instruments and techniques in a recording studio often have trouble coping with the demands of performing live. Local Natives, however, did not seem to struggle at all, belting out flawless harmonies and producing solid percussion and strong synth riffs while on stage. Frankly, it is hard to find an aspect of their performance that was lacking. However, as is the struggle with all bands who are promoting new albums, Local Natives did attempt to integrate too much of “Hummingbird” into their performance. The album was released in late January this year, and these new songs lacked intrigue when performed live. Furthermore, their latest album represented a very mellow departure from their more rambunctious debut, making the concert a kind of hot-and-cold experience. However, Local Natives made sure to play the fan favorites that catapulted them into indie stardom.

Their best song of the night may well have been “Who Knows Who Cares,” a song that seemingly everybody in the audience was belting along with them. With great harmonies and a satisfying release, the song was powerful and incredibly fun. Although they didn’t say much to the audience, the Local Natives were clearly enjoying the energy from their entranced viewers. And what they did say was exciting — the band hinted that they would be returning to Boston in the fall. So, even if you missed them this time around, you will certainly be able to see them soon.

The two front men of the band, Taylor Rice and Kelcey Ayer, carried Local Natives through this stellar performance. The two seemed to utilize each other’s musical abilities and each adapted to the nuances of the other’s performance readily. Meeting in high school in California and forming fully after graduating from UCLA together, Rice and Ayer clearly have a rich history and strong chemistry on stage — a connection that many bands seem to lack in live performances.

By far the most poignant moment of the night came when the band performed the song “Colombia” off of “Hummingbird.” The song, about the sudden death of Ayer’s mother, began softly and somberly. Ayer, who traded his keyboard set-up for an acoustic guitar while performing the song, became completely vulnerable to the audience, grimacing and swaying softly to the music. The death of Ayer’s mother, as the members of Local Natives have said in interviews, was a major influence on the creation of “Hummingbird.” The song culminates in the chanting of his mother’s name, Patricia. Ultimately, the performance of this one song personified the entirety of their performance — striking, expertly played and thought provoking. With their performance on Saturday night, Local Natives have helped disprove the sinister assumption that complex songs and sounds cannot be replicated in a live setting.