Review: Electric Guest at 9:30 Club
Despite having to contend with several obstacles that fell out of their control — namely, the 11:30 PM set time and lead singer Asa Taccone’s bronchitis — the LA-based indie pop group Electric Guest delivered a vibrant, engaging performance to a sold-out 9:30 Club.
For their first time back in DC after several years, the band was welcomed by a crowd whose energy was perhaps intensified by how late it was. The tight, 12-song set spanned Electric Guest’s three records, and tracked their evolution from a staple of the saturated indie scene of the 2010’s to last year’s triumphant release of KIN, a record that draws on influences from Electric Guest’s recent collaborations (namely, Portugal. The Man, and Carly Rae Jepsen) to make a joyful statement about seeking — and creating — unity, even when times are bleak.
As a result, the set was bolstered by moments of levity, like when Taccone shared an Instagram direct message from a disgruntled fan with an early bedtime in response to finding out the band was playing the late show. But, even as the night went on, the optimistic pop refrains of tracks like “Dollar” and “Oh Devil” seemed to suspend the crowd in a pleasant trance.
Despite the solid showmanship and consistent energy, the set was built on a sustained flow of toward engaging gimmicks. Perhaps the most obvious moment to lean into a clever schtick was during KIN’s lead single “Dollar,” when the band threw fake dollars that rained down on the crowd. Afterward, Taccone lamented their fakeness, telling the amused crowd, “We’re not successful enough to do that shit for real.” A few songs later, during the extended bridge of acoustic bop “24-7,” Taccone handed out fake roses across the front of the crowd, only to admit that “Everyone [in the audience] deserves a rose.”
This reached a peak when, after performing their breakout hit “This Head I Hold,” the band slingshotted t-shirts into the crowd. These moments of flashy showmanship caught me off guard, at times. The band’s energy and earnestness carried the set, and the performance’s lively musicality was only heightened by Taccone’s falsetto — but at times, it felt like they were actively trying to prove themselves. It was clear that they were there to have fun, but even if they hadn’t added these extra flourishes, the crowd would have appreciated them just as much.
The band wrapped up the night by playing their sweetest hit to date, the grooving, addictive “Dear To Me.” At that moment, the energy at 9:30 Club proved that just having fun sometimes can be enough.
Photos by Meredith Wohl.