The Brooklyn based quintet Lucius is a rare thing. You don’t often find a band that is both genuinely talented and comprised of genuinely nice people. It comes through in their songs and the atmosphere of their live shows. If you check out their videos on YouTube, you’ll see that most of them are live performances and many of those are intimate sessions. Those types of performances are really where the group shines, and shine they did at their small but energetic private set at Rockwood Music Hall.
The place was packed to the brim, with all the tiny tables pushed to the walls so everyone could stand as close together and as close to the stage as room would allow. The good vibes could freely flow and Lucius could fill the room with joy and positive messages. We’ve covered them on several different occasions and the common themes are the sheer vocal strength of frontwomen Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, and how musically gifted the band is. And they only seem to grow and grow, like an ever-evolving organism. The rhythm section men Dan Molad, Peter Lalish, and Andrew Burri are contributing vocals more and more, and when all five of them sing together, there’s a power and depth that stirs something inside.
From the opener “Go Home” to closer “Wildewoman,” the latter of which was dedicated to “all the ladies,” the harmonies were spot on. There was also plenty of percussion – it was like they took a drum kit and disassembled it amongst themselves, oftentimes creating a unison tribal beat that only drew everything closer together. This resonance put extra emphasis on crowd favorites like “Don’t Just Sit There,” “Turn It Around,” and my new personal fav, “Tempest.” “How Loud Your Heart Gets” was also more touching than ever, played towards the end of the set, and sung like it was meant for every single person there. The way Lucius is able to touch hearts just makes any anger or frustration you experienced during the day melt away. I don’t care how cheesy that might sound, because it’s true.
They also pulled what has become their signature move, to do the very last song in the crowd. In this case, they did a cover of Paul McCartney’s “Goodbye.” That was fitting in both the sentiment and the call back to the music that brought Jess and Holly together in the first place. Even then, with Peter on an acoustic guitar, Dan drumming on the floor, and the ladies belting it out unplugged, their voices rang out beautifully with feeling and purpose.
I would say they played all the hits, but because every single song that has ever reached the ears of anyone in a live setting could be called a hit of theirs, I’ll just say they played an amazing show full of joy and appreciation, and that the love was in the air. Oh, another common thread that’s in just about every piece written about them: It’s only a matter of time before the whole world loves Lucius…dot com.
Lucius has a huge tour coming up, so their love domination will continue. Their debut full length that will house all the songs they’ve been playing is due out October 15 on Mom + Pop. Love and Like them on Facebook, and Twitter, and follow them on Instagram for all their cleverly captured moments.