On Sunday, Oct. 28th, indie electronic artist Toro Y Moi, returned to Lawrence to unleash another set of his sleek dance pop tunes.
The show started an hour late, so when opener Astronauts, Etc. took the stage, the audience was exceptionally hungry for a performance. The Oakland five-piece immediately set the tone for the night with a bouncy, lush tune. Some of their songs glazed over in melodic sweetness while others struck with a clearer beat.
At their most energetic, the band’s sweet motion recalled fellow mellowed-out electronic acts like Small Black and Porcelain Raft. While not a perfect set, the sweet melodies and honed tightness of Astronauts, Etc. ultimately won over the crowd while riling them up for the coming Toro.
After another wait, Toro Y Moi emerged from backstage to an eruption of the crowd. The band wasted no time in getting the crowd moving with a segue of quick dancey numbers like the classic “Talamak” and newer “Buffalo”. The alter ego and leader of Toro Y Moi, Chazwick Bundwick lead the band and audience from behind both a guitar and a keyboard, as the show bounced between funky electronic-rooted and bopping rock-based tunes.
Much like with his new album, “What For?,” the show was more polished and had a stronger pop-rock flavor than previous efforts. Bundick stepped from behind the keyboard to lead a number of the newer tunes on his Stratocaster guitar. Despite the wide spread of new and old material, Bundick and the band kept the crowd moving all throughout the show.
The set ended with the more indie rock-informed jams from the new album, until Bundick announced they had one more left. The closing number rocked The Granada and ended the show strongly. People stomped and cheered for one more, but the cries went unanswered. There was no encore, and there was no “Blessa”. Things certainly have changed for Bundick since that first single dropped.