Anika gave her first Los Angeles performance at the Echoplex. Backed by members of Beak>, Anika calmly sang nearly every song from her self-titled debut album. Even though her music leans heavily towards experimental post-rock and Kraut-rock grooves, the crowd clung to each moment of the set. They bopped and danced along, even moshing occasionally. “No One’s There” got the biggest reaction of the evening. For her encore, Anika played drone-y renditions of the Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime” and Harry Nilsson’s “He Needs Me” from the film Popeye. Opener Blank Blue had an auspicious set for a newcomer, letting songs drift into jammy space-rock territory.

Blank Blue

Anika

All photos by Raymond Flotat