Friday Show Review:
Beach House at the Jefferson Theater
Words and Photographs by Gilline Santos
On May 4 2012, Beach House performed at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville, Virginia where Victoria admitted that it was not only their first show in Charlottesville, but also in a long time. It has been a long two years since Beach House released their critically acclaimed album, Teen Dream…
Baltimore’s dream pop duo is comprised of Victoria Legrand (vocals, key board) and Alex Scally (guitar) and was accompanied by a drummer, who had been added to their line up during the Teen Dream tour. This had been my third time seeing Beach House live and as the saying goes, “third time’s the charm”; it truly was.
Seeing Beach House beforehand, once as openers for Grizzly Bear at the NorVa and as a headliner at the 9:30 Club, the Jefferson was the perfect venue for Beach House. As always, fog conquered the stage while the backdrop remained minimalistic with monumental wooden slats that emanated beams of light, similar to the sun shining through the blinds in the morning.
Bloom’s “Troublemaker” was the opening track and without a doubt, welcomed the remainder of the new songs Beach House had in store for the rest of the night. In general, most will admit in membership of the “Play the songs we know” club, but the mixture between Bloom and Teen Dream created the perfect balance.
Although Victoria jokes that she has to improve her public speaking skills, her striking vocals during “Silver Soul” proved that she is still capable of wooing a crowd. Another crowd pleaser was “Equal Mind”, a B-side to Lazuli, which was exclusively released on Record Store Day. Bloom’s songs prove that Beach House has not only matured, but also mastered their own unique style. Songs such as “Other People”, where Victoria sings “Heaven won’t keep us together. Right place at the wrong time” displays the continuation of their roots of heartbreak and melancholia from their Self-titled and Devotion.
The night would not have been complete without Victoria’s passionate head-banging which took center stage during the last few songs of the set and into the encore compromising of Devotion’s “Turtle Island” and Teen Dream’s “10 Mile Stereo”. Victoria shared that the white blazer she was wearing was her favorite and had purchased it in Charlottesville a few years ago. She continued to joke around and said “It means a lot to me. Don’t take it back.” Don’t worry Victoria, the only thing the audience would want to take from the performance was the jaw-dropping sneak-peak of Bloom.
The duo’s most recent album, Bloom, was released May 15, 2012 on Sub Pop records.
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