#the echoplex

[ososperezosos]

October 5, 2022.

[dodgykeeps]

The Buttertones, Tropa Magica, The Grinns, Destroy Boys, Ultra Q, Perfection, Sabrina Is Not In This Chat, Kuromi, Hot Brothers, Small Crush, Rick n Dick, Streetplay, Dirty Pennifest IV, The Echo/Echoplex, July 6th 2019

[mordicaifeed]

“The real force behind the sound they carry lies in the sincerity and honesty of their approach. Dressed in sleek black outfits with silver facepaint, this is a band with a distinct appearance that manages to avoid feeling like an ill fitting costume.“

The Protomen at The Echoplex, by Dillon Vaughn.

[uclaradio]

Boy Harsher @ The Echoplex (1/28/18) // Show Review

Written by Viviana Lira 

Having first seen Boy Harsher live in New York at the Brooklyn Bazaar, where they opened for Soft Kill, nothing could have prepared me for what was unleashed at the Echoplex on a Sunday night. Their performance in New York was greeted with an unbearable apathy that obstructed my own enjoyment as I struggled to dance among an inanimate crowd of darkwave scenesters, who were awfully concerned with maintaining a veneer of composure throughout the entire show. All I wanted was to transform into my little-Russian-techno-boy persona (image below) but that desire was tragically repressed once I was told to “calm down” by multiple people around me.

As soon as I walked into the Echoplex and bumped shoulders with the darkwave mob in what felt like every direction, memories of my disappointment in New York began to resurface and filled me with an agonizing dread when I thought about having to deal with another passive audience in the face of my biggest musical influence.

Boy Harsher went on at 11 pm, with frontwoman Jae Matthews slowly emerging from stage right into a cloud of red mist, delicately moaning and breathing into the mic with a demonic appetite. Her echoing vocals permeated the atmosphere and were followed by an ardent wave of static noise that paralyzed the body with its lurid vibrations, hypnotically easing the mind into a deafening reverie infused with disorientation and the purest ecstasy imaginable. This prolonged trance was then forcefully intercepted by an icy drone and a burst of minimal synth, subsequently overpowered by the mesmeric drum beat from “Yr Body is Nothing,” which is the song that very much inspired me to make music. The crowd screamed with an air of pleasure, and in an instant, I and many others rushed to the center of the pit to dance undisturbed. Surrounded by strangers who expressed the same uncontrollable hysteria, I was able to release every bit of tension that had been growing inside of me.

Matthews sang the lines, “What do you want from me? What can I give you?” with a melancholic tone drowned in ghostly reverb, which contrasted the sensuous and captivating nature of the instrumentals coming from Augustus Muller’s end, ultimately creating a sound that simulated the emotional state of ambivalence. The duo’s live rendition of the song captured the impotent despair that their music is evocative of, and they harmoniously fused this emotive quality with feelings of vehement obsession and desire through the seductive reverberations of dark industrial techno.

Unlike any other electronic artist I have seen live, Boy Harsher beautifully incorporates the art of storytelling into their music through the use of a personal narrative form that goes beyond the creation of stylistic effects. Even though their lyrics are manipulated by means of repetition and simplification in order to blend with the instrumentals, they do not suffer from methods of abstraction that complicate the modes of communication.

Throughout the performance, Matthews exhibited a powerful stage presence that actively engaged the audience by drawing attention to her gestures and motions that aided in the narration of the lyrics. Instead of losing myself in the instrumentals when “Pain” came on, I was completely drawn to the theatricality of the performance and the manner in which Matthews delivered the relatable story of being invisible to the person you desire the most. All in all, Boy Harsher exceeded my expectations and provided me with a much needed transcendental experience that was cathartic to the highest degree.  I was able to mercilessly dance for two hours non-stop in my dripping sweat without any repercussions, and in those moments I truly became the little-Russian-techno-boy that I have always wanted to be. Considering that the Echoplex was sold out and packed with dozens of people passing out left and right to the point where Boy Harsher had to pause their set, the LA crowd was pleasant to be around that night. The duo will be returning to the West Coast in April to play a show with The Soft Moon in San Diego, and this is a tour that you will not want to miss!

[music-saved-my-lyfe]

My mind’s my own

and its not for sale

And I felt my spirit

My spirit fly away

Trippin’ Like I do - Mystic Braves

Mystic Braves @ The Echo December 30th, 2016

[j05u-3]

Got the chance to shoot the

  Below the Heavens 10 Year Anniversary Tour at The Echoplex  in Echo Park 

9-1-17

[miyafolickmusic]

trouble shooting cables

june 26 at the echoplex in Los Angeles

by Skylar Kydd

[lawitch]

Thanks for hanging w/ us yesterday - Marilyn, GC, Tashaki Miyaki, Jesus Sons and everyone who came out!! 🖤 Repost Guitar Center ・・・ We hung out with LA-based band @la_witch last night at their @theechola show in Hollywood - swipe through to tour their gear backstage +see more on our Instastory! 🎸 . #guitarcenter #gc #lawitch #echoplex #gear #geartalk #nerdingout #fender #mustang #bass #fenderbass #vox #voxamplification #alternative #evans #porkpie #drums #bossfx #ibanez #ehx #band #livemusic #show #guitar #guitarist #musician #music #love