November 11, 2015
Ryn Weaver, HOLYCHILD, & ASTR @ The House of Blues SD // Show Review
susan

Ryn Weaver 4

Last Wednesday brought indie-pop artist Ryn Weaver back to her hometown for a performance at San Diego’s House of Blues. The third stop on her Misfit Toys tour, Weaver’s November 4th show was particularly special for her due to the presence of her family and friends.

The night started with electro-pop duo ASTR powering through a short set of older material as well as songs from their newly released sophomore EP, Homecoming. Although the intimate House of Blues felt unusually empty this early on in the evening, the duo didn’t seem to mind as lead singer Zoe Silverman delivered moody vocals with a dazzling smile while keyboardist Adam Pallin accompanied her with dark, dreamy synths.

ASTR

The chill, funky vibe in the venue quickly changed as HOLYCHILD took the stage in an explosion of bright colors and booming drum beats. The self-proclaimed “Brat Pop” band invigorated the steadily growing crowd with a set full of bass riffs and heavy percussion hits, capped off with energetic renditions of their most well-known songs, “Money All Around” and “Happy With Me”. Lead vocalist Liz Nistico was a sight to behold throughout their performance as she drifted across the stage, punctuating the beat with a number of hip thrusts and even leaving the stage twice to sing and dance among the crowd.

HOLYCHILD 1

Unsurprisingly, Ryn Weaver’s performance was truly the highlight of the evening. Weaver was both mesmerizing and primal as she confidently emerged on stage amidst the tribal drum beats of “Runaway”. She continued on to perform more songs from her debut album, “The Fool”, her voice masterfully transitioning from raw and powerful (“Pierre”) to dreamy and ethereal (“Stay Low”) to warm and soulful (“Traveling Song”). The performance of “Traveling Song” was especially poignant with her family in the audience, as the song was written as a tribute to Weaver’s grandfather who passed away earlier this year. A teary-eyed Weaver struggled to finish the emotionally charged song as her voice began cracking during the final verse; nevertheless, the adoring crowd responded with rapturous applause.

Ryn Weaver 1

Between songs, Weaver engaged with the crowd through shout outs to San Diego and her loved ones, anecdotes about her life, and self-deprecating explanations behind some of her songs, describing “Promises” as “a song about being a fuck up”.

The climax of the show was Weaver’s penultimate performance of her breakthrough 2014 single, “OctaHate”. Weaver was electrifying against a backdrop of poppy marimba sounds and the pounding, heavy Metal-esque breakdowns of the chorus.

The Misfit Toys tour may have just started, but it has already proven itself to be a night full of powerful female vocals and lively beats that will leave fans across North America feeling awestruck.

For more details about the artists, check out:

ASTR: http://astr.tv

https://www.facebook.com/ASTRtv/

HOLYCHILD: http://holychildmusic.com

https://www.facebook.com/holychildmusic/

Ryn Weaver: http://www.rynweaver.com

https://www.facebook.com/RynWeaver/

Photos  & Article / Kat Nguyen

11/04/2015

-
share this