If LA’s music scene counts more than a few jewels, Dengue Fever is definitely one of them. The band has been around for over twenty years now and has crafted a unique sound inspired notably by 60’s Cambodian rock and adding their own spin to it. A couple of weeks after releasing their sixth LP Ting Mong, Dengue Fever ended their West Coast tour at the Lodge Room and we were lucky to catch them.
At 8pm Daz & The Demons took the stage as the venue started to fill up. The band opened with “You Haunt My Every Dream” released earlier this year. Daz and his band did a great job at warming up the sold-out venue and got the crowd to dance as a warmup before the main attraction of the night. The Australian singer shared that he was thrilled to perform for such a welcoming audience. Daz & The Demons was visibly a great discovery for many people in attendance. They closed their set with “You Wait For Something” around 8:40pm.
About twenty minutes later Dengue Fever musicians came up on stage and started an extended instrumental intro to “Touch Me Not” the opening track of their recently released album Ting Mong. Chhom Nimol (lead singer) joined them shortly after, acclaimed by the Lodge Room. Her voice immediately fills up the space and will blow your mind regardless of if you have heard her sing before or not. The band dug into their first two records, the 2003 self titled album and 2005 Escape From Dragon House, for the next few songs they played.
The energy from the musicians is a rare thing to witness as it doesn’t feel like you’re watching people work on a stage, but it feels like you are witnessing a family reunion. Senon on the bass walks around the stage singing backup vocals into any microphone comes his way, be it the drum kit’s microphone. David Ralicke switches instruments jumping from saxophone to western flute to piccolo trumpet and dances through every song. The whole band was all smile and their performance was incredible.
A couple more songs of the new record were played “Great On Paper” and “Wake Me Up Slowly”. The highlight of the show was personal favorite “Uku” from 2011 Cannibal Courtship which live rendition is always exceptional. The band left the stage after “One Thousand Tears Of A Tarantula” and came back for a two songs encore.
After being away from the stage for a while, and after witnessing the magic happening when Dengue Fever comes together, there is no doubt that this short tour gave the guys a taste of what they’ve been missing. It wouldn’t be surprising to hear of a new tour announcement, especially after releasing such a great album.
DAZ & THE DEMONS SETLIST:
You Haunt My Every Dream / Everywhere I’ve Been / I Think I Love You / Bonnie? / Too Sensitive / Oh Geraldine / Neurotic Heart / Barcelona / You Wait For Something
DENGUE FEVER SETLIST:
Touch Me Not / Shave Your Beard / New Year’s Eve / Lost In Laos / Escape From Dragon House / Hold My Hips / Tokay / Tip My Canoe / Great On Paper / Tiger Phone Card / Wake Me Up Slowly / Uku / Cement Slippers / One Thousand Tears Of A Tarantula / Sni Bong / Mr. Orange
DENGUE FEVER
DAZ & THE DEMONS
Photos + Review by Manuel Gay | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!
