The indie-pop/surf rock duo Best Coast held an electric performance at The Novo in the heart of their hometown of Los Angeles last Friday. The group brought out some old classics such as “The Only Place” and “Goodbye” alongside “Everything Has Changed” and “Different Light,” tracks featured on their latest album release Always Tomorrow.
Best Coast took the stage after an opening performance from Mannequin Pussy, who warmed up the audience with their blend of punk and alternative rock. The group’s core duo of Bethany Consentino and Bobb Bruno were joined by an additional backing guitarist, bassist and drummer for their performance, which began with the title track from their 2015 release California Nights. The stage was relatively simple, as it was simply adorned by the musicians and their instruments, complemented by some simple lights in the back which were captioned with Always Tomorrow.
Consentino sang confidently through the next couple of tracks “Different Light” and “Wreckage” from her latest album release. The performer felt a clear connection to the song’s lyrics, as they celebrated her newfound sobriety and self-love.
Her next song “The Only Place” drew a large amount of energy and applause from the crowd, as they sang along Consentino’s heartfelt performance of this ode to California. They kept up this energy for the following tracks such as “Crazy For You,” and most notably “Goodbye,” another fan favorite. During this time Consentino briefly joked around with the audience stating that some in the audience wanted her to go back to singing songs about “loving weed and hating ourselves,” before rejoicing in her newfound attitude and sobriety.
The group went on to perform their newer material performing “For The First Time,” “Seeing Red” and “Everything Has Changed,” as the crowd gleefully danced along to the band’s upbeat indie rock sound. Their performance of “Our Deal” brought along even more energy as the crowd passionately sang along to this fan-favorite, matched by Consentino’s stage movements.
Their high-energy performance of “Rollercoaster” served as a standout as the more classic rock inspired track charmed over the crowd, and saw amazing performances from the backing band. The band roared through “Make It Last” before Consentino took another break to briefly address the audience. She dedicated the fan-favorite “No One Like You” to the single people in the audience, emphasizing on self-love before going into “Feeling Ok.” The band closed out their main set with a passionate performance of “Graceless Kids” which led the audience to demand an encore.
They played their encore with some of their biggest songs “When I’m With You” and “Boyfriend” which were featured on the group’s debut album Crazy For You. The band’s performance melded their signature elements of surf rock, indie pop, headed by Consentino’s confident, yet sincere attitude, displaying a band that has grown up from the simplistic tone of their earlier music, while retaining the same level of fun they’ve always had.
Setlist
California Nights
Different Light
Wreckage
The Only Place
Crazy for You
Goodbye
For The First Time
Seeing Red
Everything Has Changed
Our Deal
Rollercoaster
Make It Last
No One Like You
Feeling OK
Graceless Kid
Encore:
When I’m With You
Boyfriend
All Photos by Ekaterina Gorbacheva
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