BY ATTICUS STRALEY
A few Thursdays ago, Lawrence was lucky enough to have the pleasure of hosting “the legendary” band STRFKR at The Granada, as the first opener Happy Sad Face called it. Along with them, STRFKR was also accompanied by the band Holy Wave. The entire night had a super cool psychedelic sense to it that you could feel in the air around you.
When Happy Sad Face came on stage, he mentioned Lawrence as the “land of liberty”, and referenced that throughout his whole performance. He had a phenomenal stage presence, as he moved his body to the words he sang, which made it feel almost like a separate show entirely. He had a great deep voice with a lot of range and expression which was perfect for his trippy pop-style songs. Along with his physical expression, he gradually stripped down from his white suit he started in, past an ab t-shirt, and into surprisingly even less. The audience found it hilarious and it was a great way to keep us engaged.
Up next was Holy Wave from Austin, Texas. They certainly still had the same psychedelic vibe, but through dreamy rock music instead. Ryan Fuson was the lead vocalist, with the perfect voice for a beautiful melancholy and ethereal performance. The entire band flowed super well together, with each of the four stage members having their own unique and noticeable presence and impact into the music. The drummer especially caught my attention with how well the tempos carried the songs, either slow or fast. I would really recommend checking out their catalog if you have not already. I loved how much of a journey the band took us on, and honestly was one of my favorite parts of the whole night.
Then it was the big moment, STRFKR came on stage and the crowd rightfully went crazy. Joshua Hodges, essentially STRFKR himself, came out in a pink wig, space glasses, and a very dramatic black outfit. There were also colorful trippy animations in the background which only made the performance that much better. The indie rock performance from STRFKR was nothing short of amazing, with there always being a mysterious allure in person. The astronaut side dancers, along with all of the lights and countless confetti drops that happened made you almost feel like you were actually in outer space (not to mention the astronaut that crowd surfed). At times the crowd sang their heart out, while at others equally listening in silence, taking the synth, keyboard, guitar, drums, and more all in. Some of my favorite songs from the performance were “Kahlil Gibran” and “Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second”. My friend Caroline said her favorite moment had to be during the encore when they came back on stage after all of the cheering from the crowd and played even more songs. At the end, STRFKR expressed their gratitude for coming out, and mystically left as they arrived. It was definitely a great way to spend an otherwise normal Thursday night, and I would one-hundred percent recommend going to their show if the chance ever arises!