REVIEW: Cate Le Bon 9/28/22
It's rare to see the stars in LA. The mystique of a glistening aura against a night sky is lost in a city breathing its own polluted air. But sometimes, art can emulate the bewildering effects of the cosmos—or at the least make you feel a similar way.
Enter Cate Le Bon. The Welsh avant-pop auteur has been lauded for the better part of the past decade for charting uncertain territory with her music and crafting a distinctly unique sound. This week at the Regent Theater in Downtown LA, Le Bon lived up to the hype, performing an ethereal set with nearly otherworldly execution. Opening act A. Savage, frontman of the indie rock outfit Parquet Courts, described Le Bon as a “hero of our times” and proclaimed we were about to witness “one of the greatest songwriters of our generation.”
Le Bon opened with “Miami,” an obscure and surreal track meant to captivate an audience with its complex sound, yet deceptively simple structure. “French Boys” followed, another one of her more abstract offerings. But within these tracks Le Bon’s body language established a tone. She had not yet opened up to the warm embrace of her eager audience. It’s not that she was stiff or nervous, per say, but preferred calculated gestures and sounds to entice. This wasn’t just live music, it was carefully crafted artistry.
Throughout the set Le Bon gracefully built up momentum with her more mesmerizing cuts like “Running Away” or “The Light” and eventually released it with some of her more dance-friendly tracks. These climaxes were notably felt during “Moderation” and “Magnificent Gestures.” The former serves as the lead single of her most recent album, Pompeii, and the latter as a niche fan-favorite from 2019’s Reward. In both of these moments the crowd, and Le Bon, let loose. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a small opening forming in the crowd. A mosh pit, I wondered? A dance circle? No, just a couple of dudes having a good time as they sprawl their bodies and bob their heads to this eclectic art-pop.
The crowd’s reactive responses to Le Bon demonstrate her status as a contemporary icon and reflect the influential rock idols that laid her foundation. Even at this modestly sized venue, the precision with which Le Bon and her band performed demanded attention and respect. Her avant-garde sound—coupled with her sleek, black eyeliner and long, dramatically-angular coat—alluded to glam rock of the 1970s. This was Bowie-type glamor with Brian Eno-esque obscurity. And at this rate, Le Bon is soon to catch up to the status of these greats.
But all good things must come to an end and as I walked out of the Regent to a starless LA night sky, the reverberations left much of the crowd in awe and feeling like there was a cosmic aura about her performance. It was like she had come from another world. If you ever get the opportunity to, I highly recommend you catch Cate Le Bon. Afterall, who knows where it could take you too.
-Dina :)