Porches Live at the Teragram Ballroom, Los Angeles

Just before 11:00 p.m. on March 9th, Porches entered the stage at the Teragram Ballroom. Frontman Aaron Maine donned an “I heart New York” tee, playing the guitar with his back turned until he began to sing “Deliver Me.” “Hi L.A.,” he said partway through the song. After a quick “thank you,” Porches jumped right into the next song, the lightly thumpy “Mood.” Maine had his feet firmly planted in front of the microphone and despite the dull look in his eyes, his hips swayed to the beat. What’s more, after the song ended, it was, in fact, confirmed that Maine was happy to be there: “We’ve been looking forward to this show for a while. You guys look amazing.” Maine continued to chat for a moment with those right in front of the stage, though it was hard to decipher anything but a few laughs.

Porches is on tour in support of The House, released January 19th. It is Maine’s third album under the electronic indie pop moniker. After “Find Me” and “Braid,” Porches played “Be Apart” from 2016s Pool. Like much of the set, “Be Apart” was a song for dancing, but also mellowing out. Maine often slicked back the sides of his hair or swayed like the crowd, suggesting he too was at ease. They followed with “Ono,” a moodier song that picks up when the full band joins in. At the end, the drums played out and the lights went down.

“This is the best L.A. show we’ve played,” Maine said before “By My Side.” It was another slower song from The House, but Maine had a moment when he waggled his fingers out to the crowd as if embracing them, with a glint of happiness in his eyes. For “Anymore,” Maine traded his guitar for a cowbell. Indeed, he played the instrument, but also at one point held it over one of his eyes, his neck lazily flopped to one side. Before “Glow,” Maine checked in with the audience: “What’s up and how’s everybody feeling?” Cheers, of course. “Thanks for selling out,” he drawled. “Feels great.” A man yelled “yee-haw!” deep from within the sea of people.  “Glow,” vibey-ness inspired some dancing. One could not describe how the Porches crowd singularly, though dancing could encompass describing the Porches crowd. There were couples swaying body-to-body, drunken 20-somethings gyrating next to their friends and even a squabble that almost turned into a fight.

Porches exited the stage after “Underwater,” the opening track on Pool. Before leaving and still under the song’s hypnotic loop, Maine said, “Thank you forever.” Applause filled the room until they came back for “Country” and “Headsgiving.” The encore never got too wild, but rather was a nice jam to rap up the evening. “Thank you so much. I’ll see you next time,” Maine said, dragging out “time,” in his somehow both warm and monotone manner.

Set List

1. Deliver Me
2. Mood
3. Find Me
4. Braid
5. Be Apart
6. Ono
7. By My Side
8. Anymore
9. Glow
10. Goodbye
11. Car
12. Leave the House
13. Understanding
14. Underwater

Encore

1. Country
2. Headsgiving