San Francisco – As one of the first pioneers of the recently popularized genre of chillwave, Alan Palomo’s Neon Indian has been a steady source of entertainment, mixing glitchy electronic beats with catchy hooks and airy, heavily reverberated vocals. Neon Indian’s next LP VEGA INTL. Night School—released next month via Mom + Pop—is perhaps his most vibrant and captivating release to date, and this past Tuesday a healthy crowd of San Franciscans were treated to live performances of some of the new LP’s tastiest offerings.
Neon Indian is a musical entity helmed by native Texan Alan Palomo, who came onto the scene back in 2009 with the release of debut album Psychic Chasms. His popularity grew with his second LP, 2011’s Era Extrana, and has since stayed quiet…until this year. VEGA INTL. Night School will be Neon Indian’s third full-length release, and has been pre-empted with a handful of devilishly enticing singles released over the past several months. On September 22nd, Neon Indian took over the freshly opened SF Social Hall—a new Goldenvoice venue situated directly beneath the famous Regency Ballroom—for the first night of their two-day residency. The fourteen-song set boasted highlights from their upcoming release as well as some old fan favorites from the previous two albums.
Palomo and his quartet of touring musicians kicked things off with “Dear Skorpio Magazine”—a new track—before seguing right into “Annie,” the feel-good hit of the summer released as a one-off single a few months back before any official news of a new LP was made public. “Annie” is one of those songs that flows effortlessly, and the live version did not disappoint, mixing tropical-sounding arrangements with Palomo’s careful, sunny vocals, and immediately everyone in the audience was hooked. “Annie” was followed by the funk-laden “The Glitzy Hive” to keep the energy at a fever pitch, the hazy tones bouncing through the crowd acting as a continuous fuel source that powered the numerous attendees’ feet into constant, jubilant motion. Another popular single from the new LP—“Slumlord”—was also performed later in the set, which elicited perhaps one of the strongest responses I have seen from a crowd in recent memory. Palomo’s boisterous, lightning-paced lyrics were electrifying and powerful; even the punctuating “oh-ay-oh”s that pepper the chorus seemed to stir even the most hesitant of concertgoers into a frenzied state of ecstasy, especially during the coda-like, instrumental “Slumlord’s Re-Release” which immediately followed (as it does on the LP as well) as the crowd’s sticky elation permeated the air, each drop of vaporized perspiration gleaming in the erratic beams of fluorescent light that swung through the air over our heads.
The main set included several other new tracks—the somewhat tamer “Baby’s Eyes,” party anthem “61 Cygni Avenue” and the rambunctious “Street Level” and “C’est La Vie (Say The Casualties!) being true highlights—yet longtime fans were treated to a few older Psychic Chasms-era songs, including the heavily-sampled “Terminally Chill,” “Mind, Drips,” and the final track of the main set, “Deadbeat Summer.” As an encore, Palomo and his crew took on Era Extrana track (and lead single) “Polish Girl,” whose colorful introductory hook echoes throughout the song with bubbly persistence. Palomo and company closed things down with the final track off VEGA INTL. Night School, “News From the Sun (Live Bootleg),” an appropriate end to an altogether festive and celebratory evening.
Neon Indian has just only started his tour behind Night School, but already he has garnered a great deal of praise for his new material and the level of energy and enthusiasm that he exudes with each performance. Palomo’s new material is exuberant and luminous, boisterous and charming. It’s perhaps his most polished material to date, and it translates seamlessly to the live stage, especially amongst such an eager crowd. Their show was the perfect way to break in San Francisco’s newest venue.
Neon Indian is currently on tour in North America through November, including a stop at Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest, as well as a few dates in Australia in mid-December. Their new album VEGA INTL. Night School is out October 16th via Mom + Pop. For more information visit their Facebook page.
Photo of Neon Indian by Faisal AB
Corey Bell
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