REVIEW: more* 9/19/22

Last Wednesday, I went to the Echo on Sunset Boulevard to see more*. I don’t have anything important to footnote—that’s just the stylization of Malcolm McRae and Kane Ritchotte’s project, whose first headlining show I had the chance to see on September 19. I saw more* for the first time in June, at the Armory in Minneapolis, MN. They were the first of two openers for HAIM and I absolutely loved their performance. It wasn’t quite like anything I had seen…I’ll get into that a little later. They went on early, and their set was a very different energy level than SASAMI (the second opener) and HAIM. I immediately went into Spotify to add their music to my collection—and found I already had. I’ve been listening ever since, following their releases and show announcements. And there I was! Back in LA, they announced their first headlining show at one of my favorite venues: I had to go.

Like most shows that I go to in LA, I arrived via Lyft and a little late. I’ll never get over the excitement of passing by on the guest list, and am forever grateful to be able to do so because of KXSC. Riding that buzz, we slipped into the venue just as the remaining audience left to the smoking patio in the back. And while I love the Echo for its space and the community they host, they were blasting the air conditioning to a near-uncomfortable temperature. It was comfortable during the acts when all the bodies in the room were near each other, but pretty brisk the rest of the time.

Once the second opener, Harrison Whitford, began, the room warmed up. The whole set was played acoustically, with Whitford seated next to his guitarist and bassist. His sound was a poppy, indie, Americana that has come to be a sound of LA to me. It felt very intimate, with Whitford and his band nearly at eye-level with the audience. He invited the members of more* onstage for a song; it was sweet, especially because it seemed like so much of the audience and lineup were a big community for each other. (Opener #1, Henry Solomon, played in HAIM’s touring band with more*’s Kane Ritchotte).

And then there was more*. Ritchotte and McRae’s setup is atypical—they face one another, each with a unique keyboard/synth/mic setup. Aside from the infrequent sample track played, they perform a live electronic set. Their setup has an acoustic and electric guitar, and the two take turns playing them, passing them back and forth. Both are strong and beautiful vocalists. Their music is footnoted to great indie rockers while also sounding entirely original. Harrison Whitford and his bassist joined them onstage for the second half of their set which was mostly new and unreleased music: the fullness and newness in their sound was apparent. 

And to see it live? It was, frankly, like not much live music I’ve ever experienced. Both Ritchotte and McRae are passionate about the sound of their band and technically skilled. McRae’s dancing, Ritchotte’s focus, their accompaniment of one another, and constantly-shifting instrumental balance cultivate such a special way to experience music. I cannot wait to experience it again, and I’m really grateful I have had the chance to be there for two of the bigger steps thus far in their career.

Xoxo,

DJ Palindromeda