Unknown Mortal Orchestra Live at the OC Observatory, Santa Ana

On a Saturday night in Santa Ana, Portland-based indie-psych band Unknown Mortal Orchestra performed as part of their tour in support of their latest album, Sex & Food.

Opening act, Neil Frances took the stage promptly at 9:00 p.m. and were greeted with cheers. All four of the band members wore white, and their initial sounds transported us directly to the desert. The band pumped up the audience with some dance-worthy songs like “Music Sounds Better With You,” and dreamy yet groovy tracks like “Dumb Love” with moving bass lines that got everyone dancing. The band shared, “we’re really stoked to be playing with Unknown Mortal Orchestra!” before going into their last song, which featured a perfect 4th vocal harmonizing effect.

Shortly after, the stage was being busily set for Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s performance. Industrial-looking shelves with rows of plants on them set the backdrop for a type of living room setup, complete with a table with a record player and records and spinning chair alongside the table, with the drums and keys on risers toward the back of the stage, opposite each other.

At 9:15, the headliners took the stage to loud cheers and dove right into the guitar solo that opens “From The Sun.” Lights emanated from the plant stands, mimicking the sun with yellows, oranges and reds. The crowd nodded and mouthed along, “get away from the sun,” and when the song rolled into a screeching guitar solo, frontman Ruban Nielson surprised the audience by stepping into the crowd with his guitar, and walking quickly all along the risers of the OC Observatory as he continued playing his solo. The wireless amp he had certainly came in handy as he headed toward the sound booth where he took a shot of tequila before heading upstairs to the observation deck before making his way back to the stage — and this was just the beginning!

Nielson didn’t talk much between songs, but did introduce the band and shared that his brother Kody was joining them on drums for the tour — an excellent choice considering the drumming was impeccable. The crowd sang along to an older song, “Ffunny Ffriends,” singing the infectious “Ooh, I rely all of my life
/ All of my life / On my Ffunny Ffriends.” “What’s up? Thanks so much for coming tonight,” Nielson greeted the crowd who cheered back. “This is a new song,” he said before going into the dreamy, psychedelic “Ministry of Alienation” off their latest album, Sex & Food. They performed fan favorites like “Necessary Evil,” the soulful “So Good At Being In Trouble” and “Multi-Love,” and not a still body was in sight in the audience.

There was another dimension of sound added to Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s live show that isn’t quite captured in the recordings; Nielson’s voice cut through the crowd, rather than as a whisper of sound, which was much welcomed. His R&B, soulful side came forward a lot more, and the sound felt as though it was turned up quite a few decibels. Each of the musicians played tightly together and confidently, Ruban Nielson taking the lead on all the guitar lines and solos displaying his true musicianship.

The band had the crowd clapping along to slower songs like “Not In Love, We’re Just High,” and closed their set with “Multi-Love.” It felt as though their set was ending far too soon, but the three-song encore seemed to leave the crowd satisfied. They started the encore with a favorite off their new album, “Hunnybee,” which featured catchy lyrics, “Hunnybee / There’s no such thing / As sweeter a sting,” and a sliding guitar part that everyone swayed too, and in some cases, took the opportunity to crowd surf. They closed their set with a banger, “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone,” with a bass line that had everyone feeling like they were in the club. The crowd was buzzing about the performance on the way out — Unknown Mortal Orchestra clearly gained some new fans and exceeded everyone’s expectations that night.

Setlist:

1. From the Sun
2. Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)
3. Ffunny Ffriends
4. Ministry of Alienation
5. Necessary Evil
6. So Good at Being in Trouble
7. Nerve Damage!
8. American Guilt
9. Not in Love We’re Just High
10. Multi-Love

1. Hunnybee
2. Everyone Acts Crazy Nowadays
3. Can’t Keep Checking My Phone