It has been two years since we had seen the amazing Alberta Cross perform in Los Angeles. While London may have once been their home, the men are now in the city of Angels, and are making it their permanent stay after moving from Brooklyn. To celebrate the move, Alberta Cross has been playing a Tuesday night May residency at one of our favorite venues, the Satellite. We caught what has been heralded as their best residency night yet, this past Tuesday, May 17. Alberta Cross kept us in awe with a most stellar selection of songs. Not only did they play some newbies but they also played some coveted old tunes.
Kicking off their enticing set with “The Thief & the Heartbreaker” off their debut album Broken Side of Time (ATO Records), front-man Petter Stakee quickly got the entire crowd fixated on him. This guy has the most intoxicating stage presence and style for days. And when I say “style” I don’t mean like Vogue magazine. I’m talking about his sexy swagger, the way he feels the music move through every blood vessel in his body, the way his vocals just crawl under your skin in the best of ways—it’s enough to get every man and woman infatuated with him. That is clearly what happened that night at the Satellite. As I looked around the floor, all eyes and smiles were on Petter.
Alberta moved on to tantalize our bodies and got us moving with “ATX.” The guitar comraderie between Petter and lead guitarist, Sam Kearney is awesome. They play off each other so well with style and some hard hitting guitar lines. Between their axe poses and good looks, just about every gal in the room was swooning.
While fans were more than happy to hear their old hits, they were also thoroughly impressed with some of their new tracks. The very catchy “Money For The Weekend” had us shaking our hips and bangin’ our heads to their poppy hooks. This song will definitely get plenty of air play once it’s released. Another song that grabbed my attention was “Magnolia.” I’m pretty sure that was the name of the new track and if it was, it has one very dope bass line. Bassist, Terry Wolfers really came out in this song with that very cool bass steez that he pulls off with such ease (rhyming not intended).
Closing up their very pleasurable set, Alberta chose to play “Rise From The Shadows,” a song that they had not played live in quite some time. This was a very special treat, as this was the first time they played this song at their residency and to top it all off, Petter came out into the crowd and serenaded each and everyone of us dancing with his mic and tambourine. Cameras were flashing everywhere as fans held their phones quickly Tweeting about the amazement they were experiencing. Petter is a definite show man. Although humble behind the scenes, he really comes out into his own and wins the musical hearts of all those before him. Even better, the entire band share such a powerful musical craftsmanship on stage making for an unforgettable show experience.
Alberta Cross are currently finishing their new record in Los Angeles with music producers, Joe Chicarelli and Mike Daly (The Killers, The White Stripes, The Strokes, My Morning Jacket). With an epic roster like that, we expect a great release to chart the tops of numerous “best of 2011” lists.
Tickets to Albert Cross’ final residency at the Satellite on Tuesday, May 24 are only $10! Buy your tickets here. Trust me, you’re not going to want to miss this very special show and you may not see the boys again for a while. They’re headed to Sasquatch! next and a few other festivals and shows.
Words: Sandra Burciaga
Photography: Ryan Mulvey
Words: Sandra Burciaga
Photography: Ryan Mulvey
