Local Natives at the Satellite – Show Review & Photos

One the best and most talented indie bands in Los Angeles, Local Natives held a surprise show for fans at the Satellite this past Tuesday. The last-minute show was announced the same morning and sold-out in a few minutes. In attendance were a happy house of fans, friends, family and the L.A. blogosphere. I recall Oscar from the Scenestar saying, “Wow. The entire Internet is here!” It was great to see our hometown heroes perform again in the city they rep and love. The entire show was quite the energized and engaging experience. I haven’t seen such a hyped and happy L.A. crowd in quite some time. People were actually dancing, clapping and smiling. That’s a rare occasion with the usual show-goers in this city. It just goes to show that the Local Natives have some very loyal fans that were all ecstatic to see them grace an intimate local venue once again. The last time we saw the Local Natives on an L.A. stage was in March 2011 where they performed a free show at UCLA.

On the evening’s menu, Local Natives played a lot of new music and were very excited to share the tunes with us. Not quite sure who it was, either Kelcey Ayer or Taylor Rice had yelled out to the crowd that the evening’s set was “going to be TITS!” This brought the crowd to laughs and smiles that would last the entire performance.

The band played about an 11-song set with three encores. We heard about eight new songs and they were all absolutely incredible. The band continues to harmonize with their new material which seem to have a more classic R&B-feel. In one of the encore songs, Ayer reaches such a beautiful falsetto that I’ve never heard before. The boys has some serious range and truly showcases it on this new record. Naturally, the Natives closed up with “Sun Hands” — an L.A. favorite with an explosive outro – it’s just a very kickass song. You can watch our video of it here. This was also the first time L.A. saw band perform with their new bassist since the departure of Andy Hamm. I’m not quite sure what his name is (I believe it’s Nick), but he’s moves and grooves with the rest of the band while keepin’ those bass lines tight. And it helps that he’s a babe, keeping consist with the good looks of the Local Natives.

Although all the songs performed, both new and old — were stunning, one song in particular stood out like a ray of light. Local Natives’ touching new number, “Colombia” sung by Kelcey Ayer in memory of his late Mother, was gorgeous. The lyrics were emotive and the entire crowd could feel the beauty and sincerity behind this lovely ballad. The light and steady drums and soft piano keys really set the tone for “Colombia.” You can watch our video of “Colombia” performed live by the Local Natives, here.

Judging by the Local Natives’ performance at the Satellite — fans have a lot to look forward to and to get excited about with their new album, Hummingbird. It should be a spectacular follow-up to Gorilla Manor.

The Local Natives headline the El Rey on Jan. 29, 2013 — you can purchase your tickets here! Check out our photo gallery and set list below!

Words: Sandra Burciaga

Photography: Dominoe Farris-Gilbert

Set List