Jagwar Ma @ MEZZANINE 5/24/2017

Three years after their debut album, Jagwar Ma dropped their sophomore album, Every Now and Then at the tail end of 2016 on the same label, Mom + Pop Records!

Jagwar Ma @ Mezzanine 5/24/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

The Australian act is no stranger to San Francisco since emerging as a heavy hitter in the obscurer side of the indie scene. Their very first show here was at the infamous, band breaking club Popscene at Rickshaw Stop in October 2013, they played Outside Lands 2014 and in 2016 they headlined at The Independent.





Jagwar Ma has come full circle: returning to the Popscene stage on Wednesday, May 24th! This time around though, SF's premier indie club was housed at Mezzanine, a bigger venue downtown.

For the Wednesday night before the three-day Memorial Day weekend and Bottlerock Napa Valley kicking off that upcoming Friday, a respectable sized crowd gathered in time to catch the headliners.
It was great makings for a respectable dance party.

Jagwar Ma @ Mezzanine 5/24/2017
photo by Marc Fong

The follow-up to their widely hailed, underground hit debut doesn't compromise their alt-indie signature though it does venture up and away from it. Their psychedelic indie sound is more refined than when we last heard from them three years ago. The underlining funk from the guitar, bass, beats, synths and harmonic vocals that they lay down is still there, only now there's a lingering murkiness to it.

Jagwar Ma @ Mezzanine 5/24/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

 If Morcheeba had younger hipster cousin I imagine it'd be Jagwar Ma. Think trip-hop but replace hip-hop with indie, so, trip-indie.

Jagwar Ma @ Mezzanine 5/24/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

Joon Ma was in the backround, bouncing behind stacks of synths and buttons and knobs, busily immersing the room in colorful production. His tireless work bled into choruses and verses highlighted by amicible guitar and bass from Winterfield and Freeman.








With Winterfiled earnestly holding it down on vocals alongside the bassist on the forefront, Ma proved to be the muscle of the opperation: carrying the show with impecible delivery, his handy work made the set shine. Swirly designs over red, blue and violet lighting fit the hazy mood that decended on easy dancing fans.

Jagwar Ma @ Mezzanine 5/24/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

 The mates have matured and their music has matured right along with them. You could say their sound is aging gracefully while maintaining some of their angsty vitality. Their poised stage presence last week at Mezzanine made their set all the more solid, giving SF a well rounded and robust show. Nothing too crazy for the middle of the week which was  perfect for the long weekend ahead.

Jagwar Ma @ Mezzanine 5/24/2017
photo by Marc Fong

Jagwar Ma might be big in the alt-indie scene but I'd never seen them before.
I'm really happy I finally got to see these stars in what can still be called their humble begining!