Live Review: Lenka featuring Big Sis at the Resident, Los Angeles

As Lenka prepared for her second stop in the U.S., a crowd gathered at the Resident in Downtown Los Angeles on October 8. The venue catered to the ambiance of the night, with a garden patio that housed both food and beverage trucks. People mingled outside, crowded around the fire pits and formed a line in anticipation of the night. Once inside, the cozy venue, attendees browsed the merchandise table, refreshed their drinks drinks and flocked to the stage. The openers for the night were Big Sis. A duo that pushes the boundaries of pop music. They have the stage presence, confidence and outfits to match. Arguably openers have the toughest job of the night, tasked with warming up a crowd that isn’t necessarily at the venue for them. Big Sis stepped up to the plate, proving that they can create personal chemistry with the crowd and maintain it. They are the quintessential embodiment of a new wave of pop music, pushing the boundaries of the genre with ad-libs and other references to pop culture that one might see scattered across the internet. Frankly, they have such a good time on stage that it is hard not to join in and this audience was no exception.

About an hour later, Lenka took the stage. A majority of the concert-goers made clear that they had been fans since the early days of Lenka’s career and in return, she promised to sing a variety of songs from her debut album. The setlist opened with “Heart Skips A Beat,” a fun upbeat song to kick off with, followed by other songs such as “Ivory Tower,” “We Will Not Grow Old” and “Everything’s Okay.” Each song was introduced and as the night went on the mood of the setlist began to shift. Songs like “One Moment,” “Live Like You’re Dying,” “Lucky” and “Blue Skies” highlighted not only the musical growth of Lenka, but also how she’s been able to navigate new challenges and seasons of her life. Lenka was very candid with the audience about the difficulties of balancing motherhood and a career, the messages that she felt the universe was trying to tell her and the proportions of her new ukulele. Other songs on the setlist included “Heal” and “Silhouette.” The latter of which had only been performed live once before. There was even a surprise trumpet performance from the back of the venue that turned heads. The trumpet player, Danny, was later invited on stage and revealed to be a long-time musical collaborator. Danny made another appearance on stage to perform “The Show” which was the closer. Easily the most popular song of the evening, nearly everyone in the venue pulled out their phones and conjured up some dance moves. Lenka’s passion is evident both in her music and in the creation of her own set decorations. She creates an authentic atmosphere where her dedication to her craft and her fans (new and old) is obvious via her uplifting and infectious spirit.

1. SETLIST
2.  Heart Skips a Beat
3.  Ivory Tower
4.  We Will Not Grow Old
5.  One Moment
6.  Everything’s Okay
7.  Live Like You’re Dying
8.  On My Side
9.  Honeybee
10.  Lucky
11.  Winter Sun
12.  Don’t Let Me Fall
13.  Trouble is a Friend
14.  Blue Skies
15.  Silhouette
16.  Heal
17.  Blinded by Love
18.  Everything At Once
19.  The Show