It is hard to believe it was one week ago that Louden Swain brought their A-Game to The Echo Los Angeles, CA. Nerd Alert News writers Kirwin Wilde, Emma Haile, and I were fortunate enough to be able to get to this show, it was worth the coast to coast trek for me. Emma actually came all the way from New Zealand!
I have been fortunate enough to see Louden Swain perform many times outside the con circuit. The first time was a few years back at The Viper Room. Back then I said to myself that they had been the best I had ever seen them perform. They keep proving me wrong. Every time I see them, it is like seeing them for the first time. Rob, Billy, Stephen, and mike bring their all each time and find ways to make their songs seem fresh and new again.
This time Swain pulled out a song from their history that they had never played live before. Needless to say, everyone went crazy for that. The energy in the room was electric and very intoxicating. For the couple hours we were in that space nothing else mattered or existed. It was just a bunch of people enjoying amazing music.
The band could definitely feel the energy and they brought some of their own. We fed off each other’s electricity all night and not one person left that room without a smile. The energy was high and in abundance from the get-go. The opening act was a fun surprise and got the crowd pumped up for the main event.
Black Crystal Wolf Kids are everything you want in an opening band. They came out in fun outfits complete with short shorts and blinking led light glasses. I couldn’t tell what was happening and after a while, I forgot they were wearing crazy outfits cause I was so into the music they were making. The Wolf Kids are everything you want in a cover band; making songs they didn’t write seem like their own. They owned each song. Some songs were ones everyone knew and some were less known, but that did not stop the crowd from cheering, clapping, and dancing along.
This show was the best Swain show I have been to and a large part of that is because the opening band was so perfectly fitting for a band like Swain. The energy was electric. They were having fun so we had fun, and we could give the fun back to Swain. It was a lot of fun is what I am getting at. I was riding the wave of the night for a while afterward.
The best thing about that night was being able to see friends old and new and spend time with them. And see other people hang with their friends and have a good time. It is one of my favorite parts of going to Louden Swain events; it brings people together to have an amazing time and be with people they care about.
Thanks guys, it was a wild ride last week. Let’s do it again.
Emma Haile came all the way from New Zealand and here is what she had to say:
Both the Louden Swain and the opening act were amazing. I wasn’t sure what to think of the Black Crystal Wolf Kids, but they were spectacular. Great music and they were fun to watch. The music got everyone up and dancing during most of the songs. I loved how much they got into playing and they seemed to play off the crowds energy. Even when Rob came out to sing with them, there still seemed to be the same amount of energy as there was before he came out.
Of course, the night didn’t end there because we still had the main event; Louden Swain. As usual, the guys were on fire, the crowd was electric and the energy was high. There was so much energy even at the back of the room, everyone was loving it. It was hard not to, they put so much work into these shows and you can tell they love doing what they do because their performance energy is always high. It was another amazing show and I can’t wait until I can see them again.
Check out these stunning photos from the Louden Swain event!
Photos by Erika Wolfe
More Photos by Emma Haile
My photos! These ones and more can be found on my Twitter page!
Written by Melissa Rothman
