Calpurnia Live at The Fonda Theater, Los Angeles

A headlining set at The Fonda Theater on a summer Saturday night belonged to a band born and raised in the 21st century. The performance wasn’t a spectacle. The setlist wasn’t comprised of synth earworm bops. No, Calpurnia is not of the pop radio breed, and yet they had all the girls screaming.

The Vancouver-native quartet, led by Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, released their debut EP Scout on June 15. Wolfhard, guitarist Ayla Tesler-Mabe, bassist Jack Anderson and drummer Malcolm Craig were raised listening to the likes of The Beatles, Nirvana and David Bowie. If you close your eyes and imagine yourself in another era, you might imagine them as peers of such past musicians.

Calpurnia began the night with “Wasting Time” and “Greyhound.” Following “Louie,” the title an ode to Lou Reed no less, they paused the music to tell a joke about a moth going to the podiatrist. And when Anderson got to the punchline, and the band finished changing guitars, they played “Blame.” Screams ensued. When the song picked up part way, Anderson jumped around, playing away. But then the song slowed back down. “It’s time to dance with your significant other,” Wolfhard said, “Phones down!”

It wasn’t Calpurnia’s first time at the Fonda. “About a year ago, we played these songs in this venue,” Tesler-Mabe said. “We’ve never played these songs without some sort of technical difficulties happening. They segued in a medley of the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind,” Weezer’s “El Scorcho” and New Order’s “Age of Consent.” Wolfhard described them as Calpurnia “classics.” They did, after all, have an hour to fill and only six songs on their EP.

Toward the end, Wolfhard laid on the stage, wiggling around on his back while still playing guitar. It was no surprise he then took a moment for some water. He could sense the crowd’s excitement at this simple task. “Throw it? Drink it,” he asked. Wolfhard sprayed the crowd with the remainder of his water, resulting in some of the evening’s loudest screeches.

Calpurnia then sang the dreamy, perfect-for-summer sunsets “Waves,” the EP’s final song, which features Tesler-Mabe on vocals. The nearly seven-minute track, however, wasn’t quite the final song of the night. After dodging a shoe thrown on the stage, Wolfhard instructed the crowd to sing their manager “Happy Birthday.” Calpurnia then said their faux farewells. Tesler-Mabe even added, “We hope you find your shoe.” Almost instantly, the crowd chanted, “One more song!” The audience was graced with two more, in fact. “Who knows who Twin Peaks is,” Anderson asked. It seemed many did, or maybe they just knew that Twin Peaks’ Caiden Lake James produced Scout.

Calpurnia played with the passion fans do. Nevertheless, they closed with their own song, “City Boy.” The crowd knew the words and those in the very front especially bounced around. “Pretend that this is the last time you’ll ever hear a song in your life,” Finn shouted. Anderson threw some more water. Tesler-Mabe jammed on. But there was no way it was the last time the crowd would hear a song. When the lights turned back on, a crowd of barely teenage girls was exposed. If The Beatles were any indication, Calpurnia’s fanship is set to have some longevity.

Set List

1. Wasting Time
2. Greyhound
3. Louie
4. Blame
5. Where Is My Mind/ Age of Consent/ El Scorcho medley
6. Waves

Encore

1. Wanted You
2. City Boy