Live Review: St. Lucia at the Griffin, February 13, 2013

St. Lucia

We may all call living in San Diego the closest thing to paradise, but St. Lucia made everyone at The Griffin feel like it was already summer vacation.

Upon first listen to their self-titled EP, St. Lucia seem simple enough. But in reality, Jean-Philip Grobler’s band is a large outfit, with intricate parts contributing to a rich tropitronic (tropical + electronic) sound. St. Lucia’s song bank isn’t filled with many tracks yet, but that just means concert attendees get to hear almost every released song that the band has made (and some unreleased ones too).

Overall, the lead singers’ vocals steal the spotlight. The band itself takes on a more gritty and less produced sound in the live setting. “All Eyes On You” was a crowd favorite, and many “Bad Lip Reading” renditions ensued from the audience members. “September,” St. Lucia’s original single, was the highlight of the night and found band members letting their hair fly and the good times roll.

After writing reviews for a couple years, shows seem to blur together and good bands become harder to find. Fortunately, St. Lucia is one of the good ones. There was no phone checking or fatigue during the show: the band kept the energy and quality sounds at a premium the entire night. The set was like a musical vacation — just like its namesake.

Opening band Wildcat Wildcat is making a name of its own after scoring an opening spot for Alt-J and now joining on St. Lucia on tour. “Mr. Quiche” is a sultry little number, and it was the best song of the band’s set. The band also played an excellent cover of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” It’s as true today as it was in 1985.

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