Category Archives: reviews

Live Photos: Cults at Soda Bar, July 29, 2011

Photos by Chris Maroulakos

Indie-pop darlings Cults played to a sold-out crowd at Soda Bar on Friday. Following the tedious exercise in nepotism that was Guards‘ opening set, Cults were a sight for sore ears.

Madeline Follin’s voice soared with ease over the girl group-inspired instrumentation as she lent her signature wail to songs like “Abducted,” “Rave On,” and the hit “Go Outside.” Guitarist Brian Oblivion and the backing band sprinkled just the right amount of 60s-pop sugar on the songs, and though the specter of Spector loomed large over the proceedings, they tackled the material with enough carefree energy to make it their own.

Cults might not have broken any new ground with their brief set, but when you’ve got songs that catchy, you don’t need to. Check out the photos…

Live Review: Childish Gambino at House of Blues, July 22, 2011

Photo credit: Natalie Kardos

Thanks to the annual pop culture invasion known as Comic-Con, San Diego was once again transformed into a star-studded, Storm Trooper-packed red carpet last week. (On what other weekend could you observe a steampunk couple enjoying a romantic sushi date and discussing how little they use technology?)

Amidst all the glittery parties, free swag, Indigo Ballroom panels, and streets crowded with Batmans, Jokers, and a couple of Deadmau5’ses (How on earth do you properly punctuate that?), Donald Glover‘s musical “side chick” Childish Gambino took to the stage at House of Blues to prove he’s more than “pretty good for a rapper who’s on a TV show.” Continue reading…