CATHEDRALS & Lia Ices at Popscene

Last month I had the chance to cover two female led bands at San Francisco's premier indie night club, Popscene: SF's CATHEDRALS and NYC's Lia Ices. While their EPs and LPs have a Lana Del Rey/MS MR/Lorde sound which easily categorizes them in the sad-core genera, their live acts sound and feel significantly different from each other and their respective records.


 

CATHEDRALS at Popscene 9/11/2014
Photo by Nikki DeMartini

Enthusiastic cheers rose from the crowd when the house DJ, Aaron Axelsen introduced San Francisco's own CATHEDRALS to the Popscene stage on September 11th. They were the second of three acts that nights and the already intimate club was packed with eager fans, many of which with the CATHEDRALS 7" red vinyl EP in hand. Glee-full cheers grew more bountiful still as the lights dimmed, barely illuminating the band before they began.  

CATHEDRALS at Popscene 9/11/2014
Photo by Nikki DeMartini

With the release of their self-titled debut EP three days earlier on September 8th and a strong turnout for their supporting act set at their homecoming show CATHEDRALS had a lot to be happy about. That happiness shined on stage with a flirtatious stage presence, big smiles and many thanks as fans randomly shouted out the names of the band members as they played.

Feeding off of their fans exuberant energy, the duo delivered their eerie indie tunes with an unexpected upbeat air. Their borderline gothic sound characterized by pristinely layered, sultry anthem-ish vocals paired with failing guitar riffs conjured more dancing and singing throughout the crowd than other up and coming indie bands have conjured up in the past at Popscene.

Lia Ices at Popscene 9/25/2014
Photo by Marc Fong

September 25th marked the 3rd show of her current tour in support of her 3rd full length studio album, Ices and the album's name sake Lia Ices graced the stage sporting a jersey with her name on it.

 

Lia Ices at Popscene 9/25/2014
Photo by Marc Fong

Wide eyed and appearing a bit timid, the lovely little singer-song writer graciously started her set amidst quiet conversations carrying on throughout the crowd. Her serene yet powerful singing over a blend of colorful beats created an easy going atmosphere with a chill party vibe.

Lia Ices at Popscene 9/25/2014
Photo by Marc Fong

The melodic hip-pop songs from her catalogue don't carry a sound that consumes a venue and
Lia Ices doesn't exactly dominate the stage, yet her performance is captivating. Her old soulful vocals are smooth, steady and remain fluid as she adds a funky flare with unique dance steps, circling the stage to interact with bandmates hiding in the shadows.

Bubbly guitar and swirling synths continued to fill the set list and Lia Ices, truly genuine and grateful for the support, politely thanked everyone between almost every song.