El Cid is located in the Silver Lake neighborhood, somewhere between Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood. The venue is primarily known for hosting flamenco shows and serving tapas, and its architecture makes it one of the most interesting/original venues in Los Angeles. As you walk down a flight of stairs to get in, you forget for a moment that the LA skyscrapers are a few minutes away (or hours, depending on traffic). In addition, the venue also schedules various shows and events.
On March 8, braving a Cold night, a young crowd formed a long line in front of the venue. Nothing would scare Dream, Ivory’s fans away. Not even a chilly wind. The show started around 10:15pm with fanclubwallet opening with what was their first performance in LA. The Canadian band from Ottawa delivered a really cool show. The setlist was composed of songs from their first album released last year You Have To Be Kidding Me and the 2021 EP Hurt Is Boring. The nostalgia-tainted music combined with Hannah Judge’s soothing voice will give you this feeling that sometimes “life sucks, but everything will be alright”. Songs like What’s Up or Gr8 Timing! are absolutely worth listening to and if you get a chance to see them live and you are not afraid of a good time, then don’t hesitate.
At 11pm the lights went out again and Dream, Ivory took the stage. Brothers Louie and Christian Baello along with drummer Daniel Vanchieri received a warm welcome by their loyal fans. The Southern Californian band has built up a nice community online but also playing in various venues around LA. The set opener was Blue from their first self-titled album which had accents of 90’s shoegaze and Beach House-like sounds. The rest of the setlist mainly showcased their new album About A Boy. Close to 5 years have passed between their two albums, so naturally the Baello Brother’s sound evolved since then. While their style remains recognizable, recent songs sound more electro-pop-rock and less dreampop-ish. Everybody in attendance was in communion with the band’s energy. Songs like M.O.V.E. O.N. or Wake Up! gave a very uplifting Twenty One Pilots/MGMT vibe. The band demonstrated that they knew how to keep a balanced energy and slowed things down by playing a few older songs Scorpion and Welcome and Goodbye, before going back to their new material. Would It Kill You At All and its incredible intro need to be added to your “check out” playlist ASAP and its live rendition was awesome.
El Cid was the kick off for their first headlining tour which will continue through March to end in New York. So if you see Dream, Ivory stopping by in your area, run give them a ear.
DREAM, IVORY
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Photos + Review by Manuel Gay | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!
