Twin Shadow with Zoë Kravitz of Lolawolf

I am not an 80s child, but Twin Shadow, aka George Lewis Jr., surely must be. Yes, a quick Google search confirms the sonic evidence; the man grew up in the era of U2, Prince, Depeche Mode, metal anthems and jingle jangle pop, the collage of music that painted the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack. At least that’s the vibe I got when Twin Shadow came to the Paradise Rock Club April 3^rd. For many moments during the night I saw myself racing down the Miami-esque streets of Vice City on a Japanese motorcycle, the blasting music of Twin Shadow perfectly fitting the imaginary world of palm trees and pink sunset skies.

However, Twin Shadow isn’t some 80s nostalgia indulging rock band without direction. Influences from the other decades of the 20^th and 21^st Centuries are sprinkled in to give their music a unique spice within the contemporary music scene. The night’s concert had an electro feel with its incessant kick drum stomps and the eye grabbing, ever changing colored cube that enclosed the drummer. The ambient harmonies from the synth player and the funky licks of the bass player kept the atmosphere always on edge, ready for the next rise and fall of a new song. Yet all that being said, if Twin Shadow is a pizza, the 80s sound would be the dough, the sauce, and the cheese. No matter what else you put on it, it’s still a pizza.

If that not your taste, OK, it’s bound to happen that some people won’t care for fun and delicious things like pizza or 80s influenced electro-rock. Is it acceptable to describe music as delicious? With the sensory overload I received from the Twin Shadow show, I would have to say, sure, why not? My perceptions and expectations were turned upside down by this performance. Before the night I knew little of Twin Shadow’s new album Eclipse, which dropped on March 9^th. From what I heard, the recordings seemed enjoyable but nothing special, altogether not really my thing. At first try it hit me like cheese pizza. But after the live show, with all Twin Shadow’s energy, showmanship, and good natured excitement, the music came into my favor like a fat slice of buffalo chicken, the kind where the bleu cheese is the sauce.

It began when opener Lolawolf took the stage. Fronted by Zoë Kravitz, an all around exciting entertainer, she and her fantastically unpredictable drummer and keyboardist worked the crowd into raucous cheers by their last song. Kravitiz lead the way, hypnotically turning, swaying and grinding to every beat as if to seduce not the audience, but the song into some sort of pulsating trance. Lolawolf used hip hop beats, trap hi-hat runs, percussive metallic slams, G-funk synth lines, jumping keyboard riffs and loops straight out of Indonesian Gamelan to send listeners on a surreal journey through the factories of the future. Check out their track “Jimmy Franco” and see if they are to your liking. I have a feeling Lolawolf will make serious strides in the next few years. Their debut album Calm Down is only a year old and brimming with confidence that is enhanced by Lolawolf’s impulsive live set.

Did somebody ask for more pizza metaphors? Well Lolafox was the unexpected surprise of free garlic sticks and chicken wings, and it seemed impossible that I would not be caught awed again. But when lights went low and T. Rex’s “Children of the Revolution” blasted as walk on music, Twin Shadow and Co. took to the stage with intention of accelerating the momentum that was building in the small, intimate music hall.

They started it off right with the fast paced rocker, “Five Seconds”. The raw energy of the live guitar and the unexpected drops on the beat shredded through the air while George stood center stage with a commanding presence of pure rock star form. It was the perfect punctuating opening statement. The Twin Shadow Court was in session and Judge George Lewis Jr. was presiding. When the song was over, George began talking to the audience. Throughout the night he would do this between several songs. Crowd banter is an art and I respected George’s control of it. He spoke for the right amount of time with the right amount of casualness to show that this performance was just as much about the audience as the musicians. His first excursion was particularly memorable:

• George “… man yeah, you guys have been have a pretty bad winter huh?”
• Random Audience Member: “Fuck winter!”
• George: “Yeah yeah ‘fuck winter’ but you know…I use to live in Boston [crowd cheers] and I experienced my first snowfall when I was about 18 and-”
• Random Audience Member: “FUCK SNOW!” [some other audience members cheer and begin to drown out George as he tries to talk]
• George: “Yeah, yeah, ‘fuck snow’ [more cheering] but listen, I’m trying to share a beautiful fucking story about snow with you, so shut the fuck up!” [he laughs and the audience loudly cheers and then quiet down as George continues] “…anyways, so I was seeing this show at the Middle East, and when I left, it was snowing, the first time I had ever seen it, and it seemed so crazy for me. I had never seen anything like it. It was then that I felt at home in Boston for the first time.”

With that Twin Shadow kicked off into the new single “Old Love/New Love”. With an upbeat bounce, piano hook, and smooth vocals the song complemented the previous rocker and it’s false ending got the crowd moving. Like the crowd banter, this change in the mood of songs was another tactic employed by Twin Shadow that reflected their level of experience and professionalism. Their setlist was a dynamic journey, rockers interspersed with slow anthems and funky dance tunes. “I’m Ready” had Britpop flavored souring guitar lines while “Flatliners” and “Eclipse” employed quiet somber verses that broke into vivacious choruses. What really stole the show was a combination of Twin Shadow’s “Run My Heart” that morphed into a cover of Sade’s “No Ordinary Love”. Here all the band members were at their best and Zoë Kravitiz came out to duet with George. While the crowd cheered in joy, the vocals blanketed the venue in fine harmonies and rang with sincere passion. Twin Shadows appeared to close out on the epic “Back to the Top” whose piano power chords call back to The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” before being cheered on to the stage for an two song encore that included the new album’s closer “Locked and Loaded”.

Even if you weren’t one for the 80s nostalgia you wouldn’t be able to deny the level of musicianship at this concert. By the end I had seen George Lewis Jr. play his guitar from underneath his leg, the drummer keep the tightest of beats, the bass player slap and slide with sweet precision, and the keyboardist utilize catchy hooks to their full potential. In short, they rocked. And the audience knew it, they sang along with such power that, in another moment of class, George swung his microphone towards the front row and let them handle the chorus on a few songs. Kids danced and made out in the back corners while the back lighting changed from blues to greens to yellows to reds over and over again. The room vibrated with love, with the potential of new day while humbly reflecting on the past. Twin Shadow’s show represented the start of spring. Fuck winter; lets party.