Sydney rockers, The Preatures exceeded expectations at their sold out gig at The Echo last night as they breezed through an 11-song set of jams.
Having seen them the night before at a free gig at Bardot’s It’s A School Night in Hollywood, the band didn’t look like one overcoming a serious jetlag of having arrived just a few days earlier.
Show review by Mark E. Ortega
Photography by Tamea Agle
With an album due out sometime before the end of the year, the Aussie fivesome gave more than a taste of what people can expect from their first full-length album. Their sound being a combination of The Who at their most bombastic with Isabella Manfredi doing a 2014 reimagining of Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, their set featured a number of memorable up tempo jams.
New single “Two Tone Melody” kicked things off followed by the catchy “Somebody’s Talking” before Manfredi engaged the crowd.
“You’re an ugly bunch in LA aren’t ya?” joked Manfredi. “A real sight for sore eyes.”
Manfredi’s charisma on stage was contagious as she moved from side to side, engaging the crowd as she showcased her immense vocal ability. Manfredi is able to go up and down the scale while also letting loose with a good rock ‘n’ roll roar from time-to-time.
An awesome one-two punch came late in the set with “Whatever You Want” and “Better Than It Ever Could Be”, the latter sounding like The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.
The band closed their set with their hit “Is This How You Feel?” The opening guitar riff is the most memorable perhaps since fellow Aussie band Jet roared onto the scene with “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?”
Guitarist/vocalist Gideon Bensen showed his talents as a dual threat, particularly on “Is This How You Feel?” and the encore song “Take A Card”. Bensen draws a resemblance to John Mellencamp in his sound, and with Manfredi and company the band produced a “wild night” in Los Angeles.
PHOTOS & REVIEW: The Preatures at Coachella
The bubble might just be about to pop on The Preatures as one of the best-kept secrets in rock ‘n’ roll. Don’t be surprised if the band is much higher up the bill at next year’s Coachella after the release of their first full-length. They opened things up at this year’s festival with a 12:30 p.m. Friday set but could be playing much closer to sunset next time. No doubt that many attendees on Tuesday came having discovered them in Indio, and those who were dragged out by those knowledgeable fans were treated to a memorable night.
Opening up the night was local multi-instrumentalist, Liphemra (aka Liv Marsico). Her unique blend of trip hop and electronics makes for quite the avant-garde performance. Check out the photos below!
The Preatures at The Echo Set List:
Liphemra
Want more photos? Check out the photo gallery below!
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