The ambient-pop band from El Paso Texas, Cigarettes After Sex, is on tour in support of their upcoming sophomore album, Cry. After kicking off their tour with back to back sold-out shows at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver and The Neptune in Seattle, the band played The Crystal Ballroom in Portland on September 29th before playing The Fox Theater in Oakland on October 1st.
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Cigarettes After Sex @ The Fox Theater in Oakland
photo by Marc Fong
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When I first listened to Cigarettes After Sex, they struck me as a very cinematic band, like their songs could score a movie or maybe play durring the credits. Heading to their show in Oakland with this in mind it was fitting to see that there wasn't going to be an opening band that night, but rather, a short film would play.
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Cigarettes After Sex @ The Fox Theater in Oakland
photo by Marc Fong
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It was more like of one of those videos on YouTube: a single image with music playing over it. The smallish screen showing a faint image of illustrated rain falling from a light grey sky hung over the stage as melancholy music played. It wasn't loud or intruding, it was just there in the background as a middle aged crowd milled about.
The picturesque venue was the perfect setting for the headliners' sound which became more apparent when they hit the stage. The stage fell dark and spotlights offered the only glimpse of the four piece band. Even approved photographers could only shoot in black and white. Serene, slow-core songs (not to be confused with sad-core, circa Lana Del Rey) washed over the crowd as they politely sang along gleefully. It wasn't a sold-out show and the amount of people there felt right (I've seen sparser crowds at the 2, 800 max capacity venue). In a way it made the show feel more intimate, more enjoyable.
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Cigarettes After Sex @ The Fox Theater in Oakland
photo by Marc Fong
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Banter was kept to a minimum as their 13 song set (including an encore) filled the Tuesday night air. Cigarettes After Sex will continue touring the world well into next year and their new album, Cry will be available October 25th.
set-list 10/1/2019
1. Opera House
2. Crush
3. Falling In Love
4. Affection
5. Sunsetz
6. Sweet
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Cigarettes After Sex @ The Fox Theater in Oakland
photo by Marc Fong
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7. Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby
8. Each Time You Fall In Love
9. K.
10. Keep On Loving You
11. Apocalypse
en-core
12. Heavenly
13. Dreaming Of You
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