REVIEW: No Vacation 2/16/23
The hottest event in LA on February 16th was the KXSC Intern/DJ mixer, but No Vacation’s gig was a close second. I’ll take any excuse to go to Teragram Ballroom, one of the rare venues with impeccable sound. A fresh pair of February singles are the band’s first releases in over two years, but that didn't stop them from nearly selling out an entire west coast run. The California-cool pop outfit drew a varied crowd – college kids, family units, and a handful of hipsters bearing a scary resemblance to my poetry TA. Long-awaited Los Angeles returns tend to feel special, and this one was no exception.
Newcomer Wabie kicked off the evening alongside his bandmates. I missed most of his set due to the aforementioned mixer, but the quality of music I experienced definitely made up for the quantity. A cover of “Year 3000” by The Jonas Brothers brought the house down, spurring a seven-hundred-person singalong. A post-show conversation with Wabie’s mother revealed that even your biggest fans can be the toughest critics; She still ranks her son’s Lodge Room set in all-time first place. This only inspired me to catch his next show; I’m dying to witness the artist’s new personal best.
The room was enraptured by No Vacation the second they took the stage. Tunes that soundtracked most 2010s travel vlogs translated surprisingly well in a live setting. Palpable surf rock energy was given a dream-pop pulse as they seamlessly blended genres. Fronting a band seems natural for Sab Mai; Their angelic and buttery vocals still managed to pack a punch. Things quickly became more chaotic than I had anticipated. Band member Nat Lee crowd-surfed as many times as she switched instruments (she performs with three, by the way). A few people floated around on inflatable unicorns – mere vehicles for rockstar stunts. There was even a successful stage dive attempt by a brave fan.
Despite exhibiting airtight musicianship, the band is no stranger to fun. They gifted concertgoers with split-second covers of “Free Bird” and the "Cowboy Bebop" theme. A crew member threw out t-shirts during the final song. Shots were taken during a mid-set break. In the words of a security guard I befriended, these moments are what made the evening special – “they’re just good people looking to have a good time.”
DJ Peaches