The Cinematic Orchestra played an incredibly intimate and wonderful show at Apogee Studios; legendary engineer and producer Bob Clearmountain’s private studio. The night was hosted by Garth Trinidad and put on by KRCW as a part of their Apogee Sessions that will be available to stream on May 24th. The night was very special because it was in celebration of their new record, To Believe, their first in 12 years.

They opened with “Lessons,” off the new record in grand fashion, with layers upon layers of varying sounds. It was an incredible experience that set the tone for how the rest of the set would go. The crowd was fully energized and bopping their heads back and forth. They then did “Man with a Movie Camera,” where Dominic Smith, co-producer and co-writer of To Believe had an amazing drum solo. Next was the first song with vocals; “Wait for Now / Leave the World,” which was introduced as a track from the new album and where they were joined on stage with Tawiah. The track was haunting and eerie and every note Tawiah hit was flawless.

After the first set was through, Trinidad came back on stage for an interview with the band leader, Jason Swinscoe, and Smith. Trinidad asked where the band had been and if they felt any pressure to release music and Swinscoe replied that they didn’t feel any pressure until now. He explained how once he moved to Los Angeles from New York is when he began to work from the ground up. Swinscoe and Smith bonded over their love of music and many other similarities and started working together in the studio. Trinidad made a remark that it sounds like they “both feel very satisfied” and Smith immediately quipped back “never,” which received lots of laughs from the audience. In describing what To Believe means to them, Swinscoe said that they spent a lot of time looking around at their environments and grappling with the concept of faith and holding onto it in troubling times. “Really to believe is a question. What do you believe, and how do you believe in it? It’s about rather than pointing fingers, to just look in the mirror.”

After the brief interview, they went into their second set with “Channel 1 Suite.” Next was in Jason’s words “a very special version” of “To Build a Home.” They were joined on stage with L.D. Brown., and surprise guest Grey Reverend. Before going into the performance Reverend remarked that “this song is about respecting people. We need that these days,” which got loud claps and cheers from the audience. The unbelievably talented Heidi Vogel then joined for “A Promise” and an encore performance of “All That You Give.” Time felt like it stopped during Vogel’s performance and it was as if the entire crowd was completely captivated by her powerhouse vocals. The night was nothing short of a cinematic experience and truly a special show made possible by pure music lovers.