Future Islands' showmanship unmatched at Red Bull Sound Select's #30DaysInLA series

Future Islands were off to a shaky start at the Wiltern for night 20 of Red Bull Sound Select’s #30DaysInLA series. Front man, Samuel Herring came out and expressed his gratitude for being on the Red Bull Select tour and started their first song. The band was not quite in sync and the bassist said they had to stop the song. This did not affect the the very excited crowd and Herring laughed it off and they started over.

After that little mishap the rest of the show was flawless. Herring commands the stage with ferocity with his unique style of dance and enough energy to make up for his bandmates that don’t move much. Herring’s dance ranged from sexy smooth moves to a slightly possessed and unreal girations where he would be on one side of the stage and then he would almost instantaneously be on the other side which my camera could rarely catch. The show was full of immense energy and he had the crowd jumping and singing along to his every verse. The performance is definitely something worth remembering and seeing if you have not seen Future Islands before. It is a unique and absolutely stunning experience.

Out of of Denver Colorado, supporting act Rose Quartz came out all dressed in white and played with a vibrant electronic sound. Their music fit their fashion style as it was bright and happy, sending a warm vibe throughout the Wiltern. Rose Quartz did a good job of keeping the attention of an audience who may not have known anything about them.

As the first supporting act, Austin’s Speak looked liked members of Devo and Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, but they did not emulate that style of music.The band didn’t have much of a stage presence, which could have been due to the fact they got a bit nervous playing to such a large crowd at the Wiltern. Regardless, they played well and the crowd cheered them on. Speak were very gracious to be playing at the Wiltern.

Photography / Words: Wes Marsala

Future Islands