Samia Earnestly Rocks The El Rey

Samia at the El Rey Theatre, LA by Jacob Alvarez

SOLD OUT HOMETOWN SHOW ACCOMPANIED BY CHARLIE HICKEY AND ANNIE DIRUSSO

The El Rey Theatre was where I attended my very first concert back in 2012. My dad took me to see James, and since then, I’ve been hooked. I also witnessed amazing shows like BROCKHAMPTON during the Saturation era and Interpol play their debut record in its entirety. Many good nights took place in the small venue, so it was great to see teens and young adults fill the room for the upcoming indie pop artists of today.

Annie DiRusso began the show, donning blonde hair and a full band. From the sound of the cheers, many fans of Samia were as equally interested for the opener which is always a cool site. The Nashville native performed tracks “Don’t Swerve” and “Nine Months,” having an incredible stage presence reminiscent of a combination between Snail Mail and Claud. At one point, both her guitar and bass players wore beanies over their faces, playing sufficiently without missing a note. It definitely ignited the excitement for the audience, and DiRusso was nice enough to sign and take photos with fans afterwards.

The night shifted to a more intimate vibe as Saddest Factory signee Charlie Hickey followed DiRusso’s set. Hickey also had an equally enthusiastic fan base in attendance, playing solo acoustic songs with a few spotlights. I enjoyed his banter, with him stating, “here’s another song with a similar sounding chord progression.” With his folk-alternative set, any fan of Phoebe Bridgers could appreciate his tunes. Hickey played through new track “Hangar” and fan favorite “Ten Feet Tall.” The audience also got an appetizer prior to the entree, as Hickey brought out Samia to duet a track.

About forty minutes passed and the curtains opened with Samia’s band on stage before she took to her mic stand. In a pair of cowgirl boots, Samia almost couldn’t believe that she sold out the Hollywood venue in her hometown. “Are you really here?” “Did my mom pay you guys to come,” she questioned. These surreal moments were greeted with applause and screams of the fans on the barrier, showing up hours before doors opened to get a good view. She began the set with opener “Pool” from her breakout album, The Baby, which is how I was introduced to her music. She then played both followup tracks “Fit N Full” and “Big Wheel” which got the fans extremely motivated to sing along.

I very much enjoyed how Samia danced like no ones watching, shaking her hips and throwing imaginary punches into the sky. She had the energy needed to keep the crowd captivated, and on top of that, she introduced fellow indie-folk artist Christian Lee Hutson to duet a new track that Hutson joked “we didn’t rehearse this.” Needless to say it went down perfect with both artists dancing in unison like a musical number in a 1960s film. Samia also welcomed back DiRusso and Hickey on stage towards the end of her set to sing along with her as well. The performance itself was punctuated with the voice cracks of Samia when she made conversation with her audience. You could hear the gratefulness and love she had felt, and her self-awareness made it that more earnest. Music critics say you shouldn't be full of cliches when writing about shows and reviews and whatnot, but when you’re experiencing it, how can you not be romantic about music?

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!