Posted on 01.29.16 under Beach House, Dustin Wong, Graham Hill, Skyler Skjelset, Takako Minekawa, Victoria Legrand
At O-Nest, Dogenzaka, Shibuya. A medium-large venue, groups like Blondie have played there.
Shibuya has been a mess — under construction for a few years now — and it looks like it will be a few more years before it’s completed. Hopefully, within my lifetime…
Full house at O-Nest.
Everyone stares at an illuminated board.
Everyone…
Skyler Skjelset, who was a founding member of Fleet Foxes and is playing bass on this tour, opened the show. He played multi-textured drones over a simple beat.
Dustin and Takako played next. New songs comprised of cascading waves of beats, looped guitar riffs, samples and vocals.
Beach House tours with their own lighting. Cases of it. Mostly back-lighting the band, the effect is more meditative than celebratory. Dream Pop drenched in reverb, it’s mysterious, not self-aggrandizing.
Takako Minekawa, Dustin Wong, Victoria Legrand
Graham Hill, Dustin, Alex Scally
Posted on 01.22.13 under Beach House, Dustin Wong
Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand started Beach House as a recording project in Baltimore. They are a Pitchfork favorite, rating their albums in the top 20 in 2006, 2008, and 2010. They perform and tour with drummer, Dan Franz. Dustin met them in Baltimore as a member of Ponytail when they were both starting out. Ponytail has since disbanded and Dustin is now a solo act with the name, Dustin Wong.
Dustin recently moved from Bushwick, Brooklyn to Tokyo. He has just finished recording his yet-to-be-named 3rd album. It will be released in America through Thrill Jockey and in Japan through Art Union/Plancha. It should be out later this year. Please keep your eye out for it!
Drummer Dan Franz.
Part of the overflowing crowd of close to 1000.
A stark face in the crowd.
French-born Victoria Legrand.
Alex Scally plays sitting down because he is also playing the bass with foot pedals. Can’t see that from the audience, though…
Beach House makes their own set backgrounds and custom lighting. Alex packs and unpacks it every show. This tour started with six dates in Australia, went to South Korea and then Osaka and Tokyo. Next they swing through Europe and then to America, finishing in late April.
Dustin offers thanks and appreciation.