Poolside @ U Street Music Hall - 9/12/2018
Poolside at U Street Music Hall (Photo by Mauricio Castro / @themauricio)
Just because summer is ending doesn't mean it has to go away in our hearts. Just ask Jeffrey Paradise and Filip Nikolic of Poolside. Look no further than the band's name to get a sense of what you're in for. Imagine you have a piña colada in hand while laid-back grooves get people up and dancing. In Poolside's world, 'daytime disco' rules at all times of the year, no matter the climate. Five years after their debut album and with no prior talk of a follow-up, the duo surprised fans with both an announcement of their sophomore album Heat and its release that same day - on the summer solstice of 2017. (How on-brand of them.)
It's hard to stay still at a Poolside show, but why would you when the vibe is so damn funky? Alongside all the funky guitars, bongos, saxophones, triangles, and chimes were drummer Vito Roccoforte and bassist Matt Safer, both formerly of influential NYC dance-punk group The Rapture. It was safe to say that the songs were in very safe hands. Their well-known take on Neil Young's timeless classic "Harvest Moon" brought a lot more high hats and snares to transform the relatively chill affair into something a little bit more danceable for the U Hall crowd. Originals like "Do You Believe" and "Feel Alright" brought the tropical keys to the forefront, while “Take Me Home”’s simple, but forceful bass line took center stage in-between all the smiles being traded in stage. In the world of daytime disco, Poolside are still leading the way, one piña colada at a time.
Heat is available now as an independent release.
Opening for Poolside was Neil Frances, who effortlessly got the crowd in a dancing mood for Poolside. Their subdued falsettos (very reminiscent of Rhye and Unknown Mortal Orchestra) and slick, octave-jumping bass lines on songs like "Dumb Love" and "Coming Back Around" (very much like, well, Poolside) made for a perfect opener for the night. Their EP Took a While is out now as an independent release.
