Presented by Desert Daze who’ve featured Tame Impala and Pond member Jay Watson multiple times at the heralded fest, Watson played to a packed audience in Highland Park as his solo outing GUM. The multi-instrumentalist is currently touring his latest album, Saturnia, and performed two tracks off the LP, “Music Is Bigger Than Hair” and “Would It Pain You to See?” The songs transitioned to live performance effortlessly, with multiple dynamic switches and lush sounds that oozed soundscapes as opposed to traditional songs.
Los Angeles natives Automatic had DJ sets throughout the night while Joon opened. Similar to GUM’s first performance in Los Angeles back in 2016, the set kicked off with Watson’s most popular track, “Glamorous Damage.” The set consisted heavily of songs off 2015’s Glamorous Damage and 2020’s Out In The World, but sprinkled in deep cuts for the hardcore fans. Having participated in Tame Impala live, co-founding Pond, and now continuing with GUM, it is incredibly apparent just how much music Watson has in him, and wanting to share. Plus with the likes of Mac DeMarco and members of The Marías looking on from the audience, the colors and sounds of GUM were appreciated to the highest standard.
*Photos from this performance were featured on Desert Daze’s Instagram on 11/13/23.